Wallisch named Fan of the Match

As anyone who has ever attended a Nashville SC match in person can attest, it’s customary for the club to recognize an outstanding performance on the pitch with the Man of the Match award. It is in this spirit that the Nashville Soccer Supporters Trust will select a Fan of the Match following each home date to recognize the breadth of the incredible supporters that come out to each NSC match and help will the team to victory week in and week out.

While the long-standing motto for Nashville Soccer Club is “Our Town, Our Club,” a great many of the team’s supporters make significant road trips for home games, and that is certainly the case for season ticket holder Nathan Wallisch, this past weekend’s Fan of the Match.

A resident of Newburgh, Ind., Wallisch makes a 300-mile round trip to sit in the supporters end for most home games, but he’s also shown a similar amount of dedication on the road, joining his fellow Nashville Roadies for a number of matches in Louisville, Indianapolis and Cincinnati.

So how does a lifelong Hoosier adopt Nashville as his team?

“I remember Nashville FC being founded however many years ago as a supporter-owned club, and I was in high school at the time and thought it was the coolest thing ever,” explained Wallisch. “Seeing that the club was starting to become something more, I joined the 1779 Club and signed up for season tickets as soon as I could.”

A graduate of the University of Evansville, Wallisch was also excited about the club’s ties to his alma mater, which includes NSC’s technical director Mike Jacobs as well as reserve midfielder Ian McGrath.

“It was exciting to see Mike Jacobs have such a big role with the club, especially because I remember him as a coach when I was a student at Evansville,” Wallisch said. “Seeing that was super cool too. I was actually a teaching assistant in a class that Ian took in college. I can’t say I ever graded his papers, but I can claim to have taught someone on the team, which is pretty awesome.”

While local ties and the story of the club may have brought Wallisch to the team, that bond has only continued to strengthen over the course of this inaugural campaign.

“I’m planning on sticking around as long as I remain in the area,” Wallisch added. “I love the relationship that has developed between the fans and the players. I remember bringing my little brother up to Indy because it was a six-hour round trip for us, and our Nashville contingent was greeted by every one of the players after the game. Robin Shroot even apologized to us for not winning, and despite the loss, I still thought that was so cool.”

Wallisch, who can be frequently seen on match days alongside a sibling or holding a box of cookies from Evansville’s Donut Bank, will continue to be a presence at First Tennessee Park as the season enters its final stretch. Feel free to ask him for one and congratulate him for being this past weekend's Fan of the Match.