My pre-conceived notions of Nashville have been based on the allure of getting stumbling drunk at Tootsie’s or singing show tunes at the Grand Ole Opry, but I’m here for the opening weekend of GEODIS Park, Nashville’s impressive 30,000-seat, two-tiered cathedral, the largest soccer-specific stadium in the United States.
Known as a mecca for country music enthusiasts, Nashville’s near professional sporting glory goes back to the Music City Miracle in 2000, which led to the Titans’ season ending inches from victory as time expired in Super Bowl XXXIV. It continued more recently when the Predators reached the Stanley Cup Finals in 2017 under former Flyers coach Peter Laviolette, losing to Pittsburgh in six games.