How About That for an Opener?
Nashville SC got its 2026 MLS campaign off to a flying start Saturday evening at GEODIS Park, trouncing the New England Revolution 4-1 in a game that never threatened to be anything but a win for the home team. The Boys in Gold put together a dominant performance across 90 minutes, showcasing all the traits that have made them one of the preseason MLS Cup hopefuls and an undisputed Eastern Conference contender.
Here’s what we learned.
Welcome to the family, Madrigal
Amid an offseason headlined by star signings Cristian Espinoza and Maxwell Woledzi, the December acquisition of 21-year-old forward Warren Madrigal from Costa Rican club Deportivo Saprissa may have gone somewhat under the radar. Not anymore.
Madrigal was superb on Saturday, registering two assists and a goal in 61 minutes of play and causing countless issues for the opposition’s defense. Although the Costa Rican was signed primarily as a central forward, he excelled playing on the left side of a 4-4-2, blitzing down the wing and wreaking havoc in the box with his ability to beat defenders off the dribble. His assists and goal were, bizarrely, the least fluid part of his performance against New England — a pair of scrappy lay-offs and a rebound — but his overall play was outstanding and will likely earn him substantial minutes in a jam-packed season.
As if the numbers and all-round play weren’t enough, Madrigal also became the first player in Club history to register an assist and two or more points in his MLS debut, cementing Saturday as undoubtedly one of the most impressive league debuts in recent memory.
Repaying the faith
Anyone who watches MLS regularly knows how devastating a finisher Sam Surridge is. The Englishman has made a career in Music City out of scoring big goals at big moments, evidenced by his winning penalty kick in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final last October and the 24 regular season goals he netted in 2025, the second-most in MLS.
It’s safe to say, then, that holding on to Surridge was a key priority for Nashville as it built toward contention this offseason, particularly with the added service he would get with Espinoza on the wing. Fortunately, the Club was able to do just that, signing the striker to an extension that should keep him in Music City for the long haul.
Surridge repaid that faith within five minutes on Saturday, pouncing on a Madrigal deflection to hand his team the lead, then built on it 10 minutes later with another deft finish into the bottom right corner. He displayedall the characteristics that have established him as one of Nashville’s best players and one of the league’s most potent attackers. And while there may be 33 regular season games yet to play, Surridge looks as threatening in 2026 as he ever has.
Building from the Back
Head coach B.J. Callaghan largely kept the same tactical framework throughout 2025: a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 with Hany Mukhtar as a central attacking midfielder with Patrick Yazbek and Eddi Tagseth operating as box-to-box runners either side of him. While the bones of this setup remained against New England — particularly Yazbek and Tagseth as sweepers — the rest of the setup changed substantially, allowing Nashville a greater freedom in attack and more devastating speed on the counter.
Part of that had to do with the speed of Madrigal and trickiness of Espinoza. But it had just as much to do with Nashville’s defense, which looks a wholly changed outfit from last year thanks to the debuts of Woledzi at center-back and Brian Schwake in goal, who revolutionized Nashville’s ability to push the ball forward.
Woledzi’s most influential trait throughout his time with Fredrikstad, the Norwegian club Nashville signed him from, was his ability to progress with the ball and break presses, opening room for his attackers to run. He did this on numerous occasions against New England, stretching the defense and allowing Yazbek and Tagseth to find space in midfield. Schwake was composed with his passing out the back to Woledzi and fellow center-back Jeisson Palacios, adding a nexus through which the Boys in Gold could play as well.
Callaghan may well tinker further to find the optimal lineups for each match, but the success his new-look defense showed Saturday will likely keep it tactically rock-solid, helping Nashville threaten offensively no matter their opposition.
