Five goals. Six shutouts. Nine matches unbeaten.
Nashville SC continued its scintillating start to 2026 Saturday evening, pummeling Orlando City SC 5-0 at GEODIS Park to cement its place atop the Eastern Conference table heading into the March international break. Sam Surridge, Cristian Espinoza and Warren Madrigal each scored goals in the victory — Nashville’s sixth of the season — offering yet another ominous sign to rivals about the Boys in Gold’s potential as their campaign progresses.
The Boys in Gold, as has become customary, got off to an electrifying start on Saturday, gaining an advantage within just five minutes of play. And just like Columbus last weekend and Miami this week, Espinoza was the mastermind.
The Argentine raced down the right wing before unleashing a shot with his dominant foot on the edge of the box, blasting the ball over Maxime Crepeau’s head, off the crossbar and into the back of the net. That goal was Espinoza’s third goal contribution in the last three games — and fifth in the last five — as well as his 125th all-time in MLS play.
Even with an early lead, the Boys in Gold continued to pile on the pressure throughout the first half. The whole Lions XI played behind the ball deep into their own half after just 20 minutes, looking to stem the bleeding from the Nashville onslaught. And yet, the Boys in Gold quickly found a way to punish them for this approach, earning a penalty kick that Surridge slotted home in the 28th minute to make it 2-0.
Surridge and Patrick Yazbek each came close to scoring again inside the 35th minute, by which point Nashville had enjoyed nearly 70% of the possession. The dominance continued out of the halftime locker room, too, with Surridge curling home in the 54th minute to put his team ahead 3-0. A magical Espinoza run found Surridge again just over 10 minutes later to snag the hat trick, his third multi-goal game in four MLS matches and his seventh league score overall.
Madrigal added a worldie of his own for good measure to make it 5-0 with 10 minutes to play, capping off a five-star evening from the Boys in Gold.
Beyond the scoring exploits of its forward line, the key driver of Nashville’s dominant showing from start to finish was the relentlessness of its midfield and defense.
Yazbek, Eddi Tagseth and Alex Muyl were suffocating in the center of the park, giving Orlando no chances to rest with their astutely timed tackles and line-breaking passes. Andy Najar and Reed Baker-Whiting’s hounded the Lions’ wingers from the flanks as Maxwell Woledzi and Jeisson Palacios mopped things up closer to goal, supported by yet another composed evening from goalkeeper Brian Schwake.
In addition to the win, Saturday marked a number of milestones for that group — namely 14 games unbeaten as a starter for Schwake, Baker-Whiting’s first MLS start for Nashville and the club’s sixth clean sheet of the season. Dan Lovitz, who replaced Baker-Whiting deep into the second half, also reached 300 career MLS appearances.
Nashville enjoys two weeks of well-deserved rest before returning to MLS play on Saturday, April 4 for an away clash at Chicago Fire, before returning to GEODIS Park on Tuesday, April 7 for the first leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinal against Club América.
Nashville SC vs Club América
Tuesday, April 7 at GEODIS Park | 7 p.m.
Nashville SC faces Club América in Leg 1 of the Concacaf Champions Cup Quarterfinals
