NASHVILLE, TN – Nashville SC welcomed LAFC to Geodis Park on Sunday evening in a battle of Concacaf Champions Cup semifinalists. Hany Mukhtar's three goals sealed all three points for the hosts, a win that sends the Coyotes to the summit of the Supporters Shield table with just one game left before the World Cup break.
Let's see how each player performed.
Ben Wright
• Players begin with a base grade of 6 and can increase or decrease their rating based on performance.
• Players must play a minimum of 15 minutes to earn a rating.
Brian Schwake - 8.5
Put in a national spotlight for the first time in league play this season, Brian Schwake continued to make a case to be the third goalkeeper taken to the World Cup by USMNT manager Mauricio Pochettino. Schwake logged seven saves, including a couple to stick on his personal highlight reel. It's been a magical rise for the 24-year-old, and he continues to answer the call at every turn.
Stock: Up
Sofascore Rating: 8.5
For your consideration, @USMNT https://t.co/eBFWvyHeus pic.twitter.com/VqKUipCHzX
— Nashville SC (@NashvilleSC) May 18, 2026
Reed Baker-Whiting - 7.0
Reed Baker-Whiting was pushed to the right side in this one following the injury to Andy Nájar in midweek, and he was tasked with defending the ever dangerous Dénis Bouanga. Baker-Whiting won enough of those encounters to help Nashville win the game, but it is worth mentioning that Bouanga did absolutely rinse Baker-Whiting for the visitors' first goal.
Stock: Unchanged
Sofascore Rating: 6.6
SixOneFive Soccer Staff
Jeisson Palacios - 7.5
Jeisson Palacios was tasked with cleaning up the frequent attacks on the left side from both the aforementioned Bouanga and Son Heung-min. The Colombian did more than his fair share defensively, and deserves plaudits for his play overall this season. Going forward, he was excellent, setting up Mukhtar's goal with a run from the back, and playing a pinpoint pass to set up the free kick for the hat-trick.
Stock: Unchanged
Sofascore Rating: 7.1
Maxwell Woledzi - 7.0
Maxwell Woledzi, along with his partner in Palacios, was given quite the task in this game, defending a potent front-three, with attacks on Woledzi's side coming from Son and the incredibly gifted 20-year-old winger David Martínez. The Ghanaian also had his trademark marauding moments on the ball in the attacking half, which always get the crowd into the game.
Stock: Unchanged
Sofascore Rating: 6.7
Dan Lovitz - 6.5
Dan Lovitz was given the start following the injury to Nájar, and it was an up-and-down game for the 34-year-old. There were nice moments defensively, and then there were not-so-nice moments defensively. Ultimately, the pace from Martínez was a bit too much for Lovitz to handle consistently, but he grew into the game.
Stock: Unchanged
Sofascore Rating: 6.2
Matt Corcoran - 7.5
Matt Corcoran has been pushed a bit further back in the midfield following the two injuries to Patrick Yazbek and Eddi Tagseth, and he's made good of this opportunity. Corcoran completed a whopping 48 passes in the attacking half on Sunday, and was only inaccurate on seven total passes during the game.
Stock: Unchanged
Sofascore Rating: 7.2
Bryan Acosta - 7.5
Bryan Acosta came into Sunday's affair on a high after grabbing his first goals in MLS play since before Nashville themselves even existed as an MLS club. He followed it up with a slightly more understated – but equally good – performance that saw him very involved in link-up play on the right-hand side once again.
Stock: Up
Sofascore Rating: 7.1
Ahmed Qasem - 6.0
Ahmed Qasem wasn't very involved in this game, with most of Nashville's best possession coming on the opposite side of the field from the Iraqi. His off-ball energy continues to be a bright spot even in games like this, where he's not a big part of the Coyotes' buildup, but you'd also like to see a bit more when he is on the ball.
Stock: Unchanged
Sofascore Rating: 6.1
Cristian Espinoza - 6.5
Cristian Espinoza was heavily involved in Nashville's end product on the road at New England in midweek, and that script completely flipped on Sunday. Espinoza did log one key pass, and a weak shot on target, but was otherwise fairly well contained by the LAFC defense.
Stock: Unchanged
Sofascore Rating: 6.4
Hany Mukhtar - 10
Hany Mukhtar signed with Nashville SC on August 27th, 2019. Nearly seven years and 101 goals later, the German has cemented himself among the very best players to ever set foot in Major League Soccer. After a fifth career hat trick in league play, which included two incredible goals from direct free kicks, what other rating could Mukhtar earn? 11?
Stock: Up
Sofascore Rating: 10
Hany Mukhtar hatty ⚽️⚽️⚽️ pic.twitter.com/IO02KPXVmj
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 18, 2026
Warren Madrigal - 8.0
Warren Madrigal, perhaps more than any other Nashville player, has seized the opportunities that injuries across the squad has given him. Madrigal showcased incredible footwork to set up Mukhtar's first goal, and again provided a lot of hard work off the ball as well.
Stock: Up
Sofascore Rating: 7.1
Substitutes
Alex Muyl - 6.0
Alex Muyl was the first call to the bench, and his job for the final 19 minutes plus stoppage time was essentially to run around and be Alex Muyl out of possession, while anything north of that would be a bonus. He accomplished this duty.
Stock: Unchanged
Sofascore Rating: 6.7
Woobens Pacius - N/A
Woobens Pacius had some dirty work to do when he entered the fray, and did that and then some. Perhaps his best shift in MLS play this season, Pacius even found himself at the point of a counterattack that could've been very dangerous, only for LAFC to dispossess the Haitian.
Stock: Unchanged
Sofascore Rating: 6.9
Josh Bauer - N/A
Josh Bauer was brought in to see out the final seconds and had enough time to win a ground duel.
Stock: Unchanged
Sofascore Rating: N/A
Shak Mohammed - N/A
Shak Mohammed also played in this game, and did a good job holding up the ball and seeing out the final seconds.
Stock: Unchanged
Sofascore Rating: N/A
Manager
BJ Callaghan - 8.5
BJ Callaghan deserves a lot of credit for the small tweaks he's made in the last two games. In previous engagements without Sam Surridge, further exacerbated by the losses of Nájar, Yazbek, and Tagseth, Nashville struggled to create clear looks at goal, and as a result weren't scoring goals.
Since being eliminated from CONCACAF Champions Cup play, Nashville have only found a way to go and score eight goals in three games, conceding four in the process. There's some things to clean up at the back, particularly in set-piece defense, but luckily, there's a two-month gap in the schedule rapidly approaching that should provide the time and healing necessary to do all of that.
As of now, Callaghan's Coyotes sit at the summit of the Supporters Shield table, with one home game left against NYCFC on May 23rd before the break.
