Nashville SC: "We want to be the standard of MLS"

NASHVILLE, TN – On a rain-soaked night at Geodis Park, Nashville SC made history. The Boys In Gold completed a dramatic comeback to beat Red Bull New York 3-2, earning their league-record 15th home win of the season, tying the MLS single-season points record, and cementing their legacy as one of the best teams in MLS history.

Immediately following the match, they lifted the Supporters' Shield in front of a euphoric supporters' section, who hardly seemed to notice the downpour. Fans who have followed the club for a long time know that a deluge during a match is something of a tradition in Music City. Fans who have recently jumped on the bandwagon more recently simply know that Nashville SC are inevitable at home.

"We’ve continually tried to push to try to be one of the elite teams in the MLS and in North America," head coach BJ Callaghan said after the match. "I think the body of work that we’ve shown this year is continually taking steps in that direction. It’s obviously a big honor for these guys to be in that discussion. But I know they’re gonna be hungry to perform more."

One of MLS's all-time great campaigns

The win on Sunday pushed Nashville SC to 74 points on the season, tying Inter Miami's league record tally with one game still to play. A result on the road against FC Cincinnati on Decision Day – a win or draw – would make Nashville's 2026 campaign the single best season in MLS regular-season history.

"Sometimes it’s easy to say things, but they’re a lot harder to do," said Callaghan. "And these guys come to work each and every day with a single focus, which is to win as many games as we can and do it in a really collective and selfless way."

Led by a powerhouse trio of Hany Mukhtar, Sam Surridge, and Cristian Espinoza in attack, Nashville have been elite going forward. They've scored 69 goals, the third-most in MLS, but their 48 goals at Geodis Park are the most in the league. Coupled with a defense that has allowed just 25 goals (the MLS record for a 34-match season is 26), Nashville have been utterly dominant at home.

"You just need to enjoy it," said breakout goalkeeper Brian Schwake, whose 15 clean sheets on the year are just one away from the league record. "It’s a special thing and I’m really lucky to be a part of this group. Everyone here is really lucky to be a part of it, and I think it doesn’t come around so often that you can lift trophies with people that you love. So it’s been great."

Nashville aren't content with 74 points and home-field advantage heading into the playoffs, though. They're gunning for the record.

"Now we are leading with Miami, the same points, and we have one more game," said club captain Hany Mukhtar. "We want to be the standard of this league. This is something very unique; you don’t have often the chance to become the standard of a whole league. And this group has shown that we can win away, and that is our mentality in Cincinnati."

A unique connection with the fans

The Supporters' Shield is a fan-created, fan-led, and fan-owned trophy, established in 1999 by an independent group of supporters to acknowledge the importance of the regular season and give a trophy for what would be considered the league championship in the vast majority of leagues around the world.

It's fitting for Nashville, a club that was originally founded and owned by fans at the amateur level, and a team that has a unique connection with its supporters, to lift the Shield.

"When you start something from the ground up, truly built amongst the people of Nashville, when you set your mind to something and you do it in your own way, a vision that is uniquely yourself, you don’t have to copy other people," said Callaghan. "You don’t have to look up elsewhere. You can build some confidence, and this is becoming a soccer city. You can see the fans and the support. We have the fan support, and we have the fans with the knowledge, and that’s a huge thing."

Before being lifted by the players, the Shield was carried through the supporters' section in the north end of Geodis Park, passed on to Mukhtar, and celebrated with the fans as the backdrop.

"The real heroes here are the fans," Mukhtar bellowed into a drenched microphone. "It doesn't matter what condition, they always show up. We thank you so much! This Shield is for you!"

Not done yet

Since MLS began in 1996, only eight teams have won the Supporters' Shield and MLS Cup in the same season. Since 2011, only three Shield winners have lifted the Cup, and none have done the double since 2022.

Nashville are well aware of the trend. They're happy to celebrate the Shield, a spectacular achievement for a still-young club, and one of the bigger accomplishments in the city's professional sports history, but they also know that anything other than lifting MLS Cup on December 18 would ultimately feel like a disappointment.

The road to MLS Cup runs through Geodis Park, where they haven't lost a league game all season, and have earned a league-record 47 points.

"We love playing here, and we are proud that the MLS Cup has to come through Geodis," said Callaghan. "We understand that it's not an easy feat. We understand we have to go to work and do it, but we're ready to compete."

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