Nashville SC 0-0 New York Red Bulls: Player ratings as Emil Forsberg sparkles in MLS debut

Emil Forsberg rattled the crossbar from distance as New York Red Bulls were held scoreless in a 0-0 draw with Nashville SC at GEODIS Park.

The visiting Red Bulls came close to scoring in the opening goal of the contest when Dante Vanzeir was played through on goal with an over-the-top through ball, but his chipped effort struck the post with Joe Willis stranded in no man's land.

Just moments later, Nashvilles' Sean Davis was shown a straight red by Cristian Campo for a dangerous challenge on Peter Stroud. Davis appealed, a couple of minutes later Campo returned to the pitch after a VAR check to withdraw the red card and instead issue a yellow card.

New York were dominant in the first half with 62% possession and 12 shots and looked the better side. Willis was called to action to deny Elias Manoel as well as newcomer Emil Forsberg, who should've done better from close range to put his side up.

The second half feature more of the same for the visitors. Frankie Amaya rattled the crossbar and not too long after Forsberg did the same from a direct free kick from distance. Somehow, Nashville kept Red Bulls at bay through 75 minutes played.

The hosts finally decided to play soccer with roughly 10 minutes remaining, forcing Carlos Coronel into action. It wasn't enough, though, as the two Eastern Conference clubs played to the second 0-0 draw of the day with Forsberg shining in his MLS debut.

Nashville SC player ratings ( 4-3-3 )

GK: Joe Willis - 8/10 - An outstanding performance from the veteran keeper.

RB: Shaq Moore - 7/10 - Stood his ground against Forsberg and was strong in one-on-one scenarios.

CB: Lukas MacNaughton - 7/10 - Was immense despite his side soaking up pressure for large parts of the game.

CB: Jack Maher - 7/10 - An exceptional showing from former USMNT youth international.

LB: Taylor Washington - 6.5/10 - Stepped in to make a key interception when Forsberg looked destined to race through the Nashville defense.

CM: Dru Yearwood - 6.5/10 - Put in several physical challenges to win the ball back for the Coyotes.

CM: Sean Davis - 6/10 - May have been lucky to stay on after his dangerous challenge in the first half and was quiet after.

CM: Alex Muyl - 5.5/10 - Just didn't bring any kind of spark in the midfield.

RW: Tyler Boyd - 5.5/10 - Dispossessed a few times and was lacking awareness; However, he played Bunbury through on goal with a perfect pass that wasn't met.

ST: Teal Bunbury - 5/10 - Had a minimal impact on the rare ocassion Nashvile were attacking.

LW: Jacob Shaffelburg - 6.5/10 - Excelled at beating his man to send in a threatening cross but was unable to add any end product.

Substitutes

SUB: Brian Anunga (62' for Yearwood) - 6/10 - Was brought on to reinforce the Coyotes' midfield for the last half hour.

SUB: Walker Zimmerman (62' for Davis) - 6/10 - Came off the bench to help see out the draw for his side.

SUB: Anibal Godoy (62' for Muyl) - 6/10 - Helped recycle possession and win the ball back in the midfield.

SUB: Orrin McKinze Gaines (71' for Shaffelburg) - 7/10 - Became Nashville's best attacker in such a short time, causing Dylan Nealis lots of trouble on the left-wing.

Manager

Gary Smith - 5/10 - His players seemed like they didn't know what to do when they won the ball, which only invited more pressure on themselves. Even though Hany Mukhtar and Sam Surridge were unavailable, they still should've done better to create more than 0.11 xG.

New York Red Bulls player ratings ( 4-4-2 )

GK: Carlos Coronel - 6/10 - A bystander for most of the night due to Nashville's pragmatic approach.

RB: Dylan Nealis - 6.5/10 - Found himself high up the pitch on many occasions and was a constant threat when Red Bulls went forward.

CB: Sean Nealis - 7/10 - Had a quiet but effective shift in the backline.

CB: Noah Eile - 7/10 - Slotted right in to the Red Bulls' lineup in his MLS debut and was near flawless.

LB: Kyle Duncan - 7/10 - Put in several tempting crosses that weren't taken advantage of by his teammates.

RM: Peter Stroud - 6/10 - Combined well with Dylan Nealis down the right-hand side but it amounted to nothing in the end.

CM: Frankie Amaya - 6.5/10 - Tidy on the ball and displayed a beautiful piece of skill to create a great chance at goal that he ended up wasting.

CM: Daniel Edelman - 7/10 - Showed off his class by connecting the defense to the front line effortlessly.

LM: Emil Forsberg - 8/10 - Oozed class with just about every touch and played a perfectly-weighted headed pass to Manoel who scuffed his shot. Unlucky to not score from his free kick from distance.

ST: Elias Manoel - 6.5/10 - Fluffed his one-one-one chance early on and proceeded to simply fall down when trying to maneuver in space in front of goal.

ST: Dante Vanzeir - 6.5/10 - Held the ball up well alongside Manoel and was unlucky to not score when his chipped effort struck the inside of the post.

Substitutes

SUB: Lewis Morgan (64' for Stroud) - 6/10 - Struggled to make things happen in the final third after coming on.

SUB: Roald Mitchell (77' for Manoel) - N/A

SUB: Wikelman Carmona (88' for Vanzeir) - N/A

Manager

Sandro Schwarz - 7.5/10 - His tactics and lineup were quite effective but he couldn't help that his players were a little rusty on the final pass as well as Joe Willis doing what Joe Willis does.

Player of the match - Emil Forsberg (New York Red Bulls)

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