By Canadian Press

Nashville’s Shaffelburg looks forward to reunion with former Toronto FC teammates

Apr 7, 2023 | 9:46 AM

Jacob Shaffelburg cut his teeth with Toronto FC. But the Canadian winger has found a home in Nashville.

The 23-year-old from Port William, N.S., joined Toronto as a homegrown player in June 2019 and went on to make 61 appearances in all competitions.

“The kid can run all day and he’s incredibly fast,” then-TFC coach Greg Vanney said after Shaffelburg’s first start.

But occupying the same position as Italian star Lorenzo Insigne, Shaffelburg found playing time hard to get last year. Toronto loaned him to Nashville SC in early August with the teams making the move permanent in mid-November.

Shaffelburg started the first five games this season, scoring twice, before shifting to the bench last weekend for Nashville’s 2-0 win in Orlando.

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Shaffelburg gets a chance to renew acquaintances with his former teammates when Toronto (1-1-4) visits GEODIS Park on Saturday.

“A wonderful signing for us,” said Nashville coach Gary Smith.

“He’s found a good home here,” he added. “His athleticism, his pace has given us a very different edge … a completely different dimension.”

Shaffelburg, a pacey winger who loves to run at defenders, has four goals in 13 regular-season outings with Nashville. He had three in 47 league games with Toronto. 

Toronto is ninth in the Eastern Conference, unbeaten in five games (1-0-4) since coughing up two late goals in a painful season-opening 3-2 loss at D.C. United.

While TFC has posted two shutouts and given up only four goals in that five-game stretch, the feeling is wins and points have been left on the table. Most recently, Toronto squandered a 2-0 lead and had to settle for a 2-2 draw with visiting Charlotte.

Nashville (3-2-1) stands fifth in the Eastern Conference. It avoided defeat in its first three outings of the season, going 2-0-1 without conceding a goal, before suffering back-to-back 1-0 losses to New England and Cincinnati ahead of the win in Orlando.

Shaffelburg says the move to Nashville has worked out well on the field and off.

“It’s been a really smooth transition. Everyone at the club has been super easy … People are super-nice here. My wife and I always say they remind us of people back in Nova Scotia, how welcoming they are.”

Shaffelburg says facing his old team is exciting but nerve-racking. Out of respect for TFC, he says he won’t celebrate if he manages to score Saturday.

Toronto tried Shaffelburg at fullback early last season “but he never really got comfortable (there),” acknowledged Toronto coach Bob Bradley. Some injury problems didn’t help either.

“He probably needed a change and he fits well with what they (Nashville) do as a team,” Bradley added. “His best qualities are still when he’s got some freedom on the left to be on the move and running and getting in some crosses. In those ways, he’s done well.”

Shaffelburg joined the TFC academy in 2016, but had limited time there because he was attending the Berkshire School in Massachusetts, whose soccer alumni includes former New York City FC midfielder Jack Harrison and former TFC forward Ifunanyachi Achara.

He signed a USL contract in November 2018 ahead of the Toronto FC 2 season, before joining the first team.

Nashville is a lively place to visit, ranking fourth in league attendance at 27,487. TFC will find the league’s stingiest defence waiting there.

Nashville has four shutouts in six matches this season and has given up just two goals, the fewest in the league. Only Sporting Kansas City (2012) and Columbus (2020), each with one goal allowed, conceded fewer at this stage of a season.

Nashville has yet to concede a goal in the first half this season and has gone 31 games without losing when scoring first in a match, a streak that dates back to August 2021.

At the other end of the field, Nashville ranks 19th on offence. German attacking midfielder Hany Mukhtar continues to pull the strings and, with one goal and three assists, the 2022 league MVP has been involved in four of Nashville’s six goals this season.

Mukhtar, who has 44 goals and 30 assists in four seasons with the club, has been involved in more than half of Nashville’s all-time regular-season goals (74 of 137).

In the absence of the injured Insigne, fellow Italian Federico Bernardeschi has carried much of the offensive load for Toronto this season. The 29-year-old, who mans the right flank, has now been involved in 10 of Toronto’s last 17 MLS goals (seven goals, three assists), dating back to Aug. 27, 2022.

He scored a rare “Olimpico,” a goal direct from a corner kick, against Charlotte last Saturday.

Toronto will be without Insigne for the sixth game in a row. The Italian has not played since hobbling off in the 34th minute of the Feb. 25 season-opener with a groin problem.

Norwegian striker Adama Diomande (hamstring) is also out, while fullback Cristian Gutierrez remains sidelined with a non-COVID illness.

Captain Michael Bradley will make his 298th appearance for Toronto in all competitions, second only to Canadian midfielder Jonathan Osorio, who will step on the field for the 324th time in TFC colours. 

Nashville will be without Costa Rican international defender Randall Leal (lower body). Defender Nick DePuy is out for the season after surgery last month surgery on an Achilles injury.

The Nashville roster also includes veteran forward Teal Bunbury, the son of former Canadian international Alex Bunbury. While born in Hamilton, Teal Bunbury is a dual citizen and has represented the U.S. internationally.

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Follow @NeilMDavidson on Twitter

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 7, 2023

Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press