MacNaughton returns with Nashville on roll

Lukas MacNaughton returns to Toronto with a smile on his face. The former Toronto FC defender, traded to Nashville SC in late April, is flourishing in his new home.

“I’m really enjoying Nashville. Everything from the city, the fans, the facilities here. The training ground is brand new, the stadium (Geodis Park) is unbelievable,” he said. “As a footballer you want to be win- ning games and you want to be in a place that values you as a player. So this is a great spot for me and I’m very happy,”

Nashville (9-3-4) arrives on a roll for Saturday’s matchup with Toronto (3-5-9). It has won four straight games, matching the franchise record, and is unbeaten in its last eight league outings (6-0-2).

TFC is coming off back-to-back draws against Chicago and is unbeaten in three games (1-0-2). While it has only won two of its last 14 games in all competitions, it has lost just once at home this season (3-1-5) in league play.

Toronto’s lengthy injury list has begun to shorten with only forward Adama Diomande and midfielders Michael Bradley, Alonso Coello and Victor Vázquez listed as out. Defenders Matt Hedges and Shane O’Neill are questionable for Saturday’s game.

Jonathan Osorio is a welcome omission from the injury report. The veteran midfielder has not played since April 22, missing the last nine games with a strained knee ligament.

“Oso has been in training all week and is available,” Toronto coach Bob Bradley said after training Friday. “So that’s certainly a good sign for us.”

The other good news is Lorenzo Insigne is rounding into form. The Italian star has been involved in TFC’s last three goals (one goal and two assists).

Nashville boasts the league’s top defence, having conceded just 11 goals in 16 matches, and goalkeeper Joe Willis has a league-best 0.69 goals-against average.

The 28-year-old MacNaughton has made five league starts for Nashville, scoring his first MLS goal May 17 in a 2-1 win over Inter Miami.

“For me that was a long time coming,” said MacNaughton. “I like to score goals.”