After 11 USL games, Nashville SC sits in sixth place and only four points behind Eastern Conference leaders FC Cincinnati with a game in hand. Let’s look at some key stats from the season so far:

1. When Brandon Allen Scores, Nashville Wins

Since his transfer from Bethlehem Steel FC on May 22, Brandon Allen has scored three goals in four games. The only game he didn’t make the score sheet was against Charleston after coming on late as a sub for Ropapa Mensah.

Allen’s Goals:

19th minute against Mississippi Brilla (U.S. Open Cup)

69th minute against Pittsburgh Riverhounds

36th minute against Penn FC

Allen is averaging one goal every 85.3 minutes over this stretch, helping the Boys in Gold advance to the fourth round of the U.S. Open Cup and gain seven important points in the USL.

Nashville SC head coach Gary Smith called Allen “an out-and-out goal scorer” after the Penn FC win, and the stats do not lie.

2. Justin Davis is Nashville’s Iron Man

Justin Davis has played the most minutes (1,082) of any player for Nashville SC this season. The left back has missed the starting lineup just one time when he didn’t play against Charleston, but he has started both U.S. Open Cup games.

Michael Reed and Matt Pickens have started all 11 USL games, totaling 1,060 minutes on the field this season, but were out of the lineup for the U.S. Open Cup matches.

Smith will need to watch his top players’ minutes, finding the right balance of squad rotation to avoid injuries and win points as the season picks up.

3. Bolu Akinyode Rarely Misses His Target

Bolu Akinyode is completing a staggering 89.2 percent of his passes this season, which is the third best percentage in the USL Eastern Conference for players with more than 50 attempted passes. Out of the 415 passes Akinyode has attempted, only 45 passes have missed his intended target.

Passing Accuracy Leaders in the East:

Atlanta United 2’s Kendal Edwards : 90.7 percent Tampa Bay Rowdies’ Lance Rozeboom: 90.6 percent Nashville SC’s Bolu Akinyode: 89.2 percent

The defensive midfielder has provided stability in the center of the field by rarely giving up the ball and by taking it away from opposing players. Akinyode leads the team with 18 tackles won and is just behind Lebo Moloto in duels won with 56.

The 24-year-old has been a surprise standout for Nashville and has proven he belongs in the starting XI for the rest of the season.