Two games. Two weeks. Two wins.
Nashville SC continued its blazing 2026 season with a 4-2 thumping of Charlotte FC at GEODIS Park Saturday night, completing the series sweep of its rival after a gritty 2-1 win in North Carolina earlier this month. The Boys in Gold now sit a game ahead at the Eastern Conference summit with a goal difference of plus-15, having scored a conference-high 21 goals through nine matches.
Like it has all season, Nashville started Saturday’s match on the front foot, controlling the pace of play with a dominant midfield showing and plethora of attacking opportunities.
Within the first 16 minutes alone, Cristian Espinoza stung the woodwork, Warren Madrigal fizzed an effort from outside the box just wide of the right post and Patrick Yazbek had a tantalizing one-on-one opportunity which Charlotte goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina stuffed. But even if those chances went wanting, Nashville’s relentless pressure ensured plenty more were in store, and it soon capitalized on its dominance.
First, Ahmed Qasem blitzed down the left wing in the 19th minute before firing an inch-perfect low cross near the penalty spot for Hany Mukhtar to prod home, his fifth goal contribution in his last four games. The Sweden native wasn’t done there, though. Not six minutes later, Qasem tapped an Espinoza lay-off on the far edge of the box and wrapped his foot around the ball, tracing it perfectly into the side netting. That goal, which handed Nashville its second 2-0 lead in as many games this year against Charlotte, slotted into the stat book as his second of 2026 after a late-game goal in a 5-0 rout of Atlético Ottawa in February.
Charlotte grabbed a goal on the stroke of halftime to halve its deficit. But the Boys in Gold nonetheless sailed into the locker room with a deserved lead and an advantage in nearly every statistical category, including expected goals, shots and possession.
That advantage continued into the second frame, especially as Sam Surridge made his way into the contest. The star Englishman, who earned MLS Player of the Month honors in March for his seven-goal start to the season, had missed each of Nashville’s previous two games with an injury but showed no signs of wear Saturday, exerting his usual magnetism at the heart of his team’s attack.
He didn’t take long to work his way onto the scoresheet, either, as Andy Najar dropped his man deep into Nashville’s half with a deft turn before punting the ball up field. The spin dropped it at Surridge’s foot, who one-timed a shot straight into the bottom-right corner to re-establish a 3-1 buffer. Charlotte netted a consolation shortly after, but Surridge once again quelled the visitors’ comeback bid with an instinctive goal in the 74thminute. Make that nine goals for the 2025 All-Star — tied for the league lead in 2026 despite starting just four MLS matches.
Charlotte pushed hard to level the match as the minutes dwindled, but the overwhelming firepower of Nashville’s forward line and dominance of its midfield proved too tall a hurdle. By full time, the visitors had completed more than 200 fewer passes than Nashville, taken six fewer shots and only registered two on target to their hosts’ five. The Boys in Gold’s conference title — and perhaps MLS title — credentials grow stronger by the game.
Nashville returns to GEODIS Park on Tuesday night for the first leg of its Concacaf Champions Cup semifinal against Tigres, scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CT, ahead of a weekend road trip to Philadelphia Union.
NEXT HOME MATCH
Concacaf Champions Cup Semifinal
Tuesday, April 28 at GEODIS Park | 7:30 p.m.
Nashville SC faces Tigres in the Champions Cup semifinal.
