Nashville SC came into Saturday night’s showpiece at GEODIS Park wanting three things: to bolster its lead atop the Supporters’ Shield standings, avenge April’s loss in Illinois and clinch a playoff spot.
They say good things come in threes. And with a commanding 3-0 win against the Chicago Fire under the lights, the Boys in Gold achieved all of those aims, adding another memorable win to a season that now features a league-best 17 of them.
Many rightfully billed Saturday’s match as a battle of superstar No. 9s: Sam Surridge, the main man for MLS’s best team, versus Chicago’s Robert Lewandowski, one of Europe’s greatest-ever forwards, looking to either add to a league-leading campaign or play the ultimate spoiler. Career-wide accolades might favor Lewandowski. But Saturday belonged to Surridge.
The Englishman, as he did a week prior at Inter Miami, offered the attacking spark Nashville needed to secure valuable points against one of MLS’s premier sides, netting the decisive opener on 33 minutes.
The two youngest players in the Boys in Gold XI architected the spectacular maneuver. Matthew Corcoran received a pass from Andy Najar on the edge of the D before lofting a ball over Chicago’s defense to a surging Reed Baker-Whiting near the touchline, who headed first-time across goal for Surridge to tap in. It was as simple a finish as they come for Surridge, who now has three goals in two games and 16 on the season.
But even if Surridge’s goal was the moment, Nashville created plenty of other moments throughout a game slanted almost entirely in its favor.
The offensive numbers tumbled in the Boys in Gold’s direction throughout the opening 45: 69% possession, eight shots to two, 24 touches in the opposing box to five and 1.48 expected goals to less than 0.1.
Much of this control can be attributed to Nashville’s right flank, which played a pivotal role in its attacking shape. Clever exchanges between Najar, Patrick Yazbek and Cristian Espinoza carved open Chicago’s wide defense and forced its central defenders to spread out, creating space for on-rushing players on the left or in the middle. Surridge’s opener was the textbook example, but he wrought havoc several times before that, too, firing just high from a header before playing in a gorgeous through-ball that Espinoza shot wide.
The rest of Nashville’s forward line found their moments to impact the game as well. Elias Saad, resuming his starting spot on the left wing, remained dangerous with his dribbling and vision, while Hany Mukhtar ghosted around the box looking to capitalize on the attention Surridge drew.
The same trends continued into the second frame. Najar and Espinoza each nearly nabbed an assist inside five minutes of the restart, Surridge had a penalty shout waved away and Mukhtar nearly made it two, but his effort from a tight angle flew into the side netting. Corcoran had an enticing effort of his own that forced Chris Brady into a full-stretch dive toward the far post. Adding Shak Mohammed into the mix supercharged Nashville’s already overwhelming energy and increased the pressure on Chicago as it chased an equalizer, tiring the Fire’s legs as they sought to blockade their goal.
Then the dam broke twice within the game’s final 15 minutes, turning the late kickoff into an early Chicago bedtime. Najar cut back to Espinoza on the doorstep in the 78th to make it 2-0 before the Argentine turned creator, finding Mukhtar in the center to curl home in the 87th.
We’ve spoken at length about Nashville’s offensive brilliance. But how about the other No. 9 on the pitch?
For all his quality, Lewandowski had little service and even fewer chances to exert his influence. The speed and size of Nashville’s defenders allowed them to beat him on breakaways and muscle him off the ball, keeping the prolific Pole well away from the home box for most of the night. When he did get there, Brian Schwake stood tall, timed his sprawls to perfection and was calm when handed the ball, closing all available space to shoot as he helped kickstart Nashville’s transition offense.
Schwake’s eventual clean sheet, his 12th of the league season, showed few pock marks or room for criticism, a great sign ahead of his first-ever United States Men’s National Team call-up this international window.
The Boys in Gold take a week off before returning to GEODIS Park next Saturday, Sept. 26, for a home rematch with Toronto FC.
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