Soccer
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – After losing three consecutive matches for the first time in 2025, Nashville SC needed a bounce-back result during Matchday 30.
They got that and then some against Orlando City on Saturday night at GEODIS Park, beating the in-form visitors 5-1 to jump right back into the Supporters’ Shield race and give themselves some breathing room in the hunt for a top-four Eastern Conference finish (15W-8L-5D; 50 points).
With Sam Surridge and Hany Mukhtar each recording a brace, Nashville’s All-Star forwards were on full display.
“Results matter. We’re in the winning business and we don’t hide from that. We don’t move from that,” Nashville head coach BJ Callaghan said postgame.
“The thing is, we’re just not obsessed. We’re about our work because that’s what we can control. We can control our day-to-day effort and how we prepare… You have to be ready to capitalize on every single moment out there. And it was a big win for us.”
Back to winning ways
In their first full season under Callaghan, Nashville have already set their club record with 15 wins, bettering their 2023 mark of 13. But after a three-match road stretch saw them lose three in a row, returning to GEODIS Park was a necessary reset.
Against an Orlando side tied with them on points heading into the match, it was also a chance to prevent an Eastern Conference rival from gaining ground.
“We know about our strengths, and we talked a lot this week that we are not happy with how we have performed the last three games,” said Mukhtar, who added a pair of assists to his brace.
“I think the spirit in the team is really good… Sometimes you have a little dip, but it’s more important to stand up again. I think it was a good punch in the face at the right time to realize we have to bring the basics every single game.”
No better feeling than being home ????@HighRockVodka | #NSHvORL pic.twitter.com/JqITvG6654
— Nashville SC (@NashvilleSC) August 24, 2025
Dynamic duo
Mukhtar and Surridge have been two of the league’s best players this season, but Saturday was an especially timely performance from the duo.
With his brace, Surridge became the second player in Nashville SC history to score 20 goals in an MLS season. The only other player to accomplish the feat is Mukhtar, whose 23 goals in 2022 earned him the MLS Golden Boot presented by Audi. Surridge now has his eyes on that prize too, as his performance pushed him past Inter Miami‘s Lionel Messi into sole possession of the lead in the scoring charts with 20 goals.
Mukhtar also made history on Saturday, becoming just the fifth player in league history to record at least 10 assists in five consecutive seasons. Widely regarded as one of the league’s top players in recent years, the 2022 Landon Donovan MLS MVP is entering rarified air.
“These are just stats and just numbers and history in the league,” Mukhtar said. “It’s a nice accomplishment, but at the end of the day, we still have six more games and hopefully I will have a couple more.”
Read MoreTomi Howe