Renasant Recap: Nashville Soccer Club Forces Game 3 in Its Audi MLS Cup Playoffs Round One Best-of-3 Series with 2-1 Win over Inter Miami CF

• A win next Saturday in Miami will send the Boys in Gold to the Eastern Conference Semifinals
• Defender Josh Bauer registers first career Audi MLS Cup Playoffs goal (game-winner) and start
• Landon Donovan Major League Soccer Most Valuable Player finalist Sam Surridge scores first career Audi MLS Cup Playoffs goal on penalty kick
• Nashville SC sets new club record for single season MLS goals scored (regular season and playoffs) with 61

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Nov. 1, 2025)– Nashville Soccer Club forced a Game 3 in the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs Round One Best-of-3 series with a 2-1 win over Inter Miami in front of a sellout crowd at GEODIS Park on Saturday night. MVP finalist Sam Surridge started the scoring by converting a penalty kick in the ninth minute before defender Josh Bauer doubled the lead in the 45^th.

Golden Boot Bauer: Bauer, who has scored a career-high four goals this season across all competitions, became the first defender in Nashville SC history to score an Audi MLS Cup Playoffs goal with his tally in the 45^th minute.

Leading the way: The Boys in Gold improved to 15W-2L-3D across all competitions in 2025 (MLS regular season and playoffs, Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup) when Surridge scores. The Englishman's tally Saturday was his club-record 31st of the season.

Walls of gold: GEODIS Park continued to be a fortress for Nashville SC in 2025 with the club improving to 15W-3L-3D at home across all competitions this season. The Boys in Gold are 3W-1L-0D all-time in Music City during the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs while outscoring opponents 8-3.

Next up: The Boys in Gold will visit South Florida on Saturday, Nov. 8 at a time to be announced for a decisive Game 3 and the chance to advance to the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

Notes:           

Nashville SC:       

• set a new club record for MLS goals scored in a single season with 61 (regular season + playoffs)
• improved to 4W-5L-1D all-time in the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs
• improved to 3W-1L-0D at home in the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs (Nissan Stadium, GEODIS Park)
• has outscored opponents 8-3 at home in the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs (Nissan Stadium, GEODIS Park)
• improved to 15W-3L-3D at home this season across all competitions (12W-3L-3D in MLS, 3W-0L-0D in Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup)
• improved to 5W-8L-5D all-time against MIA (MLS Regular Season and Playoffs, Concacaf Champions Cup, Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, Leagues Cup)
• improved to 3W-3L-3D all-time against Miami at home (regular season + Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup + Concacaf Champions Cup)
• improved to 75W-65L-63D all-time (regular season + playoffs)
• improved to 46W-22L-33D all-time at home (regular season + playoffs)
• improved to 55W-47L-45D all-time against Eastern Conference opponents (regular season + playoffs)
• improved to 51W-51L-51D all-time on weekends (regular season + playoffs)
• improved to 42W-41L-38D all-time on Saturdays (regular season + playoffs)
• improved to 5W-3L-2D all-time during November (regular season + playoffs)

Josh Bauer

• recorded his first career Audi MLS Cup Playoffs goal and goal contribution and made his first career Audi MLS Cup Playoffs start
• became the first defender in Nashville SC history to score an Audi MLS Cup Playoffs goal

B.J. Callaghan earned his first career Audi MLS Cup Playoffs win as Head Coach

Matthew Corcoran became the youngest player and first teenager (19 years, 8 months, and 14 days) in Nashville SC history to start in an Audi MLS Cup Playoffs match

Dan Lovitz did not dress due to an ankle injury

Hany Mukhtar

• led the match in distance covered with 7.71 miles
• is one of three players to appear in all 10 of Nashville SC’s Audi MLS Cup Playoffs matches (also, Joe Willis and Walker Zimmerman)

Jonathan Pérez did not dress due to a thigh injury

Ahmed Qasem made his first career Audi MLS Cup Playoffs appearance and his first appearance since injuring his ankle on Sept. 16 against the Philadelphia Union

Sam Surridge scored his first career Audi MLS Cup Playoffs goal

Eddi Tagseth led the team with 94.3% passing accuracy (minimum 30 passes completed)

Joe Willis is one of three players to appear in all 10 of Nashville SC’s Audi MLS Cup Playoffs matches (also, Hany Mukhtar and Walker Zimmerman)

Walker Zimmerman is one of three players to appear in all 10 of Nashville SC’s Audi MLS Cup Playoffs matches (also, Hany Mukhtar and Joe Willis)

Box score:                  

Nashville SC (1W-1L-0D in 2025 Audi MLS Cup Playoffs) vs. Inter Miami CF (1W-1L-0D in 2025 Audi MLS Cup Playoffs)

Nov. 1, 2025 – GEODIS Park

Final score:               

NSH: 2

MIA: 1

Scoring summary:

NSH: Sam Surridge (Penalty Kick) 9’

NSH: Josh Bauer 45’

MIA: Lionel Messi (A: Rodrigo De Paul) 90’

Discipline:

NSH: Eddi Tagseth (Caution) 4’

NSH: Patrick Yazbek (Caution) 15’

NSH: Sam Surridge (Caution) 78’

NSH: Jacob Shaffelburg (Caution) 84’

NSH: Bryan Acosta (Caution) 90’ + 6’

Lineups:

NSH starters: Joe Willis; Jeisson Palacios, Josh Bauer, Walker Zimmerman (C), Andy Najar; Patrick Yazbek (Bryan Acosta 79’), Hany Mukhtar, Matthew Corcoran, Alex Muyl (Ahmed Qasem 79’), Eddi Tagseth (Jacob Shaffelburg 63’); Sam Surridge (Teal Bunbury 83’)

Substitutes: Brian Schwake, Tate Schmitt, Jack Maher, Gastón Brugman, Tyler Boyd

MIA starters: Rocco Rios-Novo; Ian Fray, Jordi Alba, Noah Allen (Telasco Segovia 46’), Maximiliano Falcon; Sergio Busquets, Rodrigo De Paul, Baltasar Rodriguez (Mateo Silvetti 54’), Tadeo Allende; Luis Suarez, Lionel Messi (C)

Substitutes: Oscar Ustari, Gonzalo Lujan, Tomas Aviles, Fafa Picault, Allen Obando, Yannick Bright, Marcelo Weigandt

Match officials:           

Referee: Allen Chapman

AR1: Andrew Bigelow

AR2: Gianni Facchini

4TH: Ismir Pekmic

VAR: Armando Villarreal

AVAR: Robert Schaap

Weather: 53 degrees and rainy