Mukhtar and Surridge: Nashville’s dynamic duo

Nashville’s dynamic duo is lighting up MLS this season.

With 23 and 21 combined goals and assists for Sam Surridge and Hany Mukhtar, respectively, the pair will soon enter some rarified air. BJ Callaghan’s hero ball style has set his superstars up for success. How do they do it? Is it sustainable, and will they set records this season?

A historic pace

Surridge and Mukhtar ripped Orlando to shreds on Saturday, combining for four goals and bringing their total to to 34 goals with six games remaining in the 2025 season. The all-time leaderboard for goals by a duo is built on LAFC legend Carlos Vela’s record-breaking season in 2019, with Vela plus a teammate making up three out of the top six. Vela combined for 50 goals with Diego Rossi in 2019, sitting at the top if the list with 50 combined goals. Surridge and Mukhtar only need six more goals to climb into a current three-way tie for 4th place.

Six goals in six games is a reasonable target for the pair. However, they are also close to other milestones. Only 17 sets of teammates have scored 15 or more goals each; Mukhtar only needs one more.

And only once before have a set of teammates both recorded 25 goal contributions in a single season. Surridge needs two, and Mukhtar needs four. It’s becoming a legendary season for the pair, and Nashville will likely need them to break these records if the 'Yotes want to top the table at the end of the regular season. 

The focal point of Nashville's attack

In a lot of ways, BJ Callaghan’s attacking strategy reminds me of Ty Lue coaching the Cavs. When you have Lebron and Kyrie, give them the ball.

Sometimes, it really is that straightforward. Surridge and Mukhtar rank fifth and 11th respectively for shots this season. 47% of Nashville’s shots come from these two players. Only Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez take a higher proportion, and the league average for the top two targets is around 34%.

Surridge and Mukhtar also generate or take 40% of Nashville’s shots, ranking 55th and fourth for Shot Creating Actions. The attack centers around them. Everything is designed to flow through them. You might start to wonder if NSC relies too heavily on this duo, and to that I say… you’re probably right. But no one ever told Lebron to pass it to Iman Shumpert more. If it works, it works.

Do Nashville need more?

The below above clearly shows the roles on the team for the NSC attackers. It displays their league rank among attackers for passes into the box and touches in the box, both per 90 minutes.

Mukhtar is the engine and the target; he both creates plays in the box and receives the ball there. Surridge is the focal point, with few box entries but very high in touches.

Jonny Pérez and Ahmed Qasem are tasked with getting the ball into the box. Alex Muyl doesn't stand out here, but we know his contributions are vital on the defensive side. Muyl is also the only attacker who is significantly underperforming his xG projections, scoring 2.3 goals fewer than expected. 

Jacob Shaffelburg also stands out here. I’ve long thought that the idea of Shaffelburg has been significantly better than Shaffelburg the player, but these numbers are very encouraging. He’s played about as many minutes as Pérez, but he’s been a much bigger threat to the opposing box.

My colleagues Ben Wright and Chris Ivey have started referring to Nashville's wingers as "advanced midfielders" because of their defensive positioning and their contribution to the build-up. I agree with that description, except for Jacob Shaffelburg. He’s still more of an attacking winger, and the threat he poses to the opposing box is much different than the others. I’d like to see him get more playing time, especially in games where the 'Yotes need a goal, or at least an additional goal threat. 

So yes, another goal scorer would be nice. An off night from Mukhtar and Surridge usually spells disaster for Nashville. But thankfully, those don't come very often.

The sentiment that Nashville needs a third attacker is formed by watching previous duos fall short in the end. But this duo could end up being better than any duo in MLS history that doesn't include Carlos Vela.

Another goal scorer would undoubtedly help, but these two could be good enough to get it done by themselves.