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Nashville SC aims to maintain its winning ways - and its MLS Cup Playoff hopes - when it hosts FC Cincinnati in Nashville, Tenn., on Saturday evening.
After dropping eight straight league matches, Nashville (8-13-8, 32 points) is on a two-match winning streak.
It followed a 2-0 win at Atlanta United last Saturday with a 1-0 win against the visiting Chicago Fire on Wednesday. Forward Sam Surridge netted a 19th-minute goal for the match's lone tally.
With five matches remaining, Nashville is a point out of the ninth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference but needs to pass three teams to get there.
"We've just got to look to Cincinnati, and if we get a nine-point week, who knows what can happen?" Surridge said. "We've got to build momentum and that's what everyone's chasing, and I think we've got that at the moment. So we're positive, we're confident going (into) Saturday."
Cincinnati (17-8-4, 55 points), which has already clinched a playoff spot, currently sits second in the East with five matches remaining. The side trails league-leading Inter Miami (19-4-6, 63 points) by eight points.
A four-match losing streak all but ended Cincinnati's chances at a second straight Supporters' Shield, but its current three-match unbeaten stretch (2-0-1) has helped it hold off archrival Columbus Crew, who are two points back in third place with a match in hand.
Though his team has clinched a postseason spot, Cincinnati coach Pat Noonan understands the urgency for Nashville.
"Every game now, when you look at the opponents and what we're trying to achieve, there's no easy games. Not that there ever really is, but everybody's fighting for a spot," Noonan said.
Noonan and Nashville's B.J. Callaghan will meet for the first time as head coaches, with both formerly serving on Jim Curtin's staff at the Philadelphia Union in 2018.
Callaghan was appointed Nashville's head coach on July 3.
"(Callaghan) worked really hard in his time in Philly," Noonan said. "... Now he's the manager at Nashville, and certainly there were challenging times, I think, in the first couple weeks.
"... But you've seen the last couple games improve, and I'm happy for B.J. with his opportunity because I think he deserves it."
Surridge leads Nashville with nine goals, while midfielder Luciano Acosta paces Cincinnati with 11 scores and is tied for the MLS lead with 18 assists.
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Tottenham Hotspur star announces unexpected departure
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Bills GM says James Cook decision was 'disappointing'
On Monday, Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane responded to James Cook's decision not to practice with the team on Sunday. Cook, who had been practicing with the Bills through training camp until that point amid contract negotiations, told ESPN's Alaina Getzenberg that he made a "business" decision not to practice with his teammates. During an appearance on WGR 550, Beane said the team did not know of Cook's plan until right before practice. He was disappointed that the situation deteriorated to a point where the star running back felt the need to miss a practice. "There's been constant communication between the two sides....at the end of the day I wish we weren't here," Beane said, via WGR's Sal Capaccio. "This is my ninth season and have never had a player miss practice due too a contract, so it's disappointing for me." Beane doesn't believe Cook's negotiations will cause a distraction in the locker room unless players "let it become" a distraction. The negotiations between the Bills and Cook could continue past training camp. "We'd love to keep him, but I have to make sure it all fits under an umbrella, not in a silo... If we don't get something done now it doesn't mean we can't before (Cook) becomes a free agent," Beane said. Cook is looking for a $15 million per year deal after earning his second consecutive Pro Bowl appearance and earning the NFL rushing touchdowns co-leader (tied with Derrick Henry and Jahmyr Gibbs with 16) in 2024. Beane said he isn't taking a hard line on not paying Cook because he's a running back, saying the Bills want to sign him at the "sweet spot." The Bills need the "sweet spot" to come sooner rather than later. It's common for teams to deal with sit-outs and holdouts during the preseason. What Buffalo doesn't want is a distraction during the regular season or postseason, and that could be where this is headed.
Aaron Boone addresses Alex Rodriguez’s criticism of Yankees
New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone responded Sunday, one day after Alex Rodriguez suggested his team lacks discipline and accountability. On FOX’s MLB pregame show Saturday, Rodriguez questioned the “accountability” of the Yankees after Boone did not pull Jazz Chisholm from Saturday’s loss to Miami after the infielder made a brutal baserunning blunder. Rodriguez suggested that the Yankees do not face consequences for such mistakes, and that it has contributed to further errors. “If any one of us made a mistake, we would be sitting our butt right on the bench,” Rodriguez said. “I see mistake after mistake, and there’s no consequences.” Boone took issue with those remarks when asked about them on Sunday. He said he accepts that the Yankees will always face added scrutiny, but that he disagreed with the substance of Rodriguez’s remarks. “I would disagree a little bit with the accountability factor, but the reality is, we’re focused every day on being the best we can be,” Boone said, via Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. “That’s how we have to do it. But I understand when it doesn’t happen, or we don’t have the record that I think we should have, or certainly people think we should have — that comes with the territory.” Boone is known for keeping things positive publicly, even when things are going poorly for the Yankees. That has led to some criticism from fans, who feel that he goes too easy on his players when they are underperforming. The team’s recent stretch of mediocre play combined with a lack of consequences for errors like Chisholm’s have reinforced those critiques. The Yankees lost again on Sunday and were swept by the Marlins, dropping them to 60-51 on the season. Until the team starts consistently winning again, Boone is going to hear more comments like Rodriguez’s.
Marlins troll Yankees with fitting song amid series sweep
The Miami Marlins turned to good ol’ Neil Diamond to clown on the New York Yankees during their impressive weekend triumph. Miami pulled off an improbable three-game series sweep of the Yankees on Sunday with a 7-3 win at LoanDepot Park in Miami. It marked the sixth consecutive series victory for the Marlins as well as their first-ever three-game sweep of the Yankees in franchise history. As Sunday’s game was nearing the end, the Marlins decided to have some fun. With the Yankees down to their last three outs entering the top of the ninth inning, “Sweet Caroline” began loudly playing inside the ballpark. Here is a video: Of course, “Sweet Caroline” is an anthem of the Boston Red Sox, the hated rivals of the Yankees. The song plays in the eighth inning of every game at Fenway Park. Fittingly enough, the 62-51 Red Sox are officially now ahead of the Yankees in the AL East standings (thanks to the Yankees’ brutal weekend against the Marlins putting them at 60-52). The Yankees only had themselves to blame for their poor weekend showing, piling on several more embarrassing mental mistakes during the series. As for the Marlins though, they are quickly looking like one of the best stories of the second half. After sitting at a dismal 25-41 in mid-June, Miami is suddenly a .500 team again at 55-55 and it has clawed to within 5.5 games back of a wild-card spot in the NL.
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