RSL to rely on Diego Luna in clash with Nashville SC

Nashville SC hopes key veteran Walker Zimmerman could be available this weekend following a frightening injury.

Meanwhile, Real Salt Lake looks to ride budding superstar Diego Luna to more success.

Both Zimmerman and Luna could be at the forefront Saturday night when Nashville hosts RSL.

Nashville (3-3-1, 10 points) has suffered back-to-back 2-1 losses after winning three in a row. However, the immediate concern is the health of Zimmerman, one of MLS' all-time great defenders, who suffered an inadvertent kick to the head during last weekend's defeat at Charlotte.

Zimmerman, trying to head away a cross in the box only to receive a brunt of the boot from Charlotte's Kerwin Vargas, needed to be carted off. Zimmerman was released from a local hospital and placed in concussion protocol.

"It's a day-to-day sequence that we're following," Nashville coach B.J. Callaghan said Thursday.

Minus Zimmerman, Nashville blew a 1-0 lead by allowing a goal in the 85th minute and another in the 90th minute. With or without Zimmerman, it's imperative Nashville is focused.

"We have to take (the responsibility) and share it amongst the 20 (players) that (get) named for the match and continue forward," Callaghan added.

Regardless of who is manning Nashville's back end, the focus will be to contain the 21-year-old Luna, who with three goals and two assists has contributed to all but two of RSL's seven tallies. He notched a brace through the first 26 minutes last Saturday, when Salt Lake (3-4-0, 9 points) avoided a third straight defeat with its 2-0 win over Los Angeles.

"I like when there's stuff on the line and the team relies on me," Luna said.

RSL allowed just one shot on target in the shutout victory.

RSL has yet to win consecutive matches this season. They also have not faced Nashville since 2022.

"We're going to focus on ourselves more than anything," Luna added.

"I think the biggest thing for us this week is the competitiveness and that workhorse DNA we're going to have."

Luna has never faced Nashville. Meanwhile, Nashville's own superstar Hany Mukhtar, with two goals this season, has failed to score in three matches versus RSL.

--Field Level Media