For Club and Country‘s Tim Sullivan and I preview Tuesday’s USL Eastern Conference clash between host Nashville SC and the Indy Eleven via a back-and-forth Q&A.

First, the Nashville SC side of things:

Kevin Johnston: What factors have led to Nashville SC’s rapid ascent up the table?

Tim Sullivan: I think largely, this is closer to the same team from the beginning of the year than folks realized. Starting the season with a road game against Louisville, then hosting a Pittsburgh team that is better on the road than probably anyone expected, taking a road loss at Indy… none of those feel as bad as they might have seemed like they should back in April. However, there have been a couple major improvements: Gary Smith has changed both tactics (going from a 3-5-2 in the first few games to a 4-4-2 ever since) and personnel (signing winger Alan Winn and completely altering the rotation at striker) to open up the offense a bit more, while not sacrificing anything defensively. That’s allowed the long undefeated streak in USL play, and is expected to be sort of the “who we are” rather than “hot streak” for NSC.

KJ: First Tennessee Park has been an absolute fortress this season with Nashville having only allowed one goal at home all season. Why is it so difficult for visitors to find the back of the net?

TS: For the most part, Nashville has been good both home and road on the defensive end of the pitch. It’s the scoring (1.6 per game at home with the only scoreless contest at Nissan Stadium rather than First Tennessee, 0.88 on the road) that is the bigger change, and a lot of that is just comfort with the surface, coming out a little more aggressively to set the tone, and then there’s always the fan support. Gary Smith is a little bit more ambitious in sending guys forward at home because he knows getting an early goal will allow the fans to take over and intimidate the opponent out of the game.

KJ: What are some of the hallmarks of a Gary Smith-coached squad?

TS: Defense, defense, defense. Smith’s teams are always sound defensively, and that’s been the case both home and road so far in 2018. That’s persisted through the tactical change (which was oriented more toward opening up the offense), and doesn’t show any signs of stopping. The offense has indeed improved since the move to a 4-4-2, with false-nine Lebo Moloto and a rotating cast of wingers keys to setting up the scoring, with a couple different strikers ready to finish.

KJ: Which Nashville player(s) has/have been the most pleasant surprises this season?

TS: Bradley Bourgeois is the first one that comes to mind. The 5-11 centerback was pushed into action after MLS vet London Woodberry suffered an injury in the first game… and hasn’t relinquished a starting spot. He’s a danger on set pieces despite his size, and has been very sound at the back. Another would be Brandon Allen, but the surprise comes from the fact he’s on the team, rather than the fact that he’s scoring at a pretty good rate. He was in the opposing lineup for Nashville’s game at Bethlehem Steel, and as soon as his transfer was complete, he started scoring almost immediately. That’s the offensive punch the Boys in Gold needed.

KJ: How do you expect Nashville to line up Tuesday night and what’s your score prediction?