On Wednesday night, Nashville SC extended their lead in the Supporters' Shield race with a gritty win over Red Bull New York.
Valair Shabilla
Nashville SC overcame two disallowed goals, heavy pressure, and a chippy second half to secure a historic 1-0 victory over the Red Bulls. Powered by Brian Schwake’s big saves and Maxwell Woledzi’s 92nd-minute set-piece header, BJ Callaghan's side walked away from Sports Illustrated Stadium with all three points for the first time in club history.
Let's dig into some ratings!
• 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 - 7.5
Brian Schwake stood tall to earn Nashville’s clean sheet on the road. He came up with a brilliant close-range reflex save off Emil Forsberg in the 34th minute, kicking out his left leg to deny a certain goal, and stayed sharp in the 89th to hold off RBNY’s final push. His 14 clean sheets so far this season are the most-ever for Nashville in their MLS era.
Stock: Up
Ben Wright
Reed Baker-Whiting - 7.5
Flipped over to the right side, Reed Baker-Whiting put in a massive shift on both ends, created early danger with a precise eighth-minute cross to Surridge, held up defensively against Red Bulls' direct wing play, and smoothly transitioned over to left back at the hour mark before making way in the 85th minute.
Stock: Unchanged
Jack Maher - 7.5
Replacing Jeisson Palacios in the starting lineup, Jack Maher was a rock in the heart of defense. He put his body on the line with several critical sliding tackles, including a goal-saving challenge on Mijahir Jiménez in the 73rd minute. He took a heavy blow to the head blocking a set piece to preserve the clean sheet. A much-needed performance for the veteran.
Stock: Up
Maxwell Woledzi - 9.0
A complete superstar performance from Maxwell Woledzi. Beyond holding down the backline and having a goal disallowed for a tight offside call in the 81st minute, he rose highest in the 92nd minute to head home Cristian Espinoza's set piece for the dramatic winning goal.
Stock: Up
3️⃣ points in the bag 💼 pic.twitter.com/MSsIc4MiVq
— Nashville SC (@NashvilleSC) August 20, 2026
Dan Lovitz - 7.0
The veteran left back managed a tough shift with real discipline after taking an early 12th-minute yellow card. He popped up with a crucial 50th-minute clearance to deny Forsberg's dangerous run before being refreshed at the hour mark.
Stock: Unchanged
Matt Corcoran - 6.5
Matt Corcoran uncapped the attack early with a gorgeous fourth-minute ball over the top to set Surridge free. Navigated Red Bulls' heavy counter-press and picked up a second-half caution before making way in the 69th minute.
Stock: Unchanged
Eddi Tagseth - 7.5
Eddi Tagseth was the engine room operator for Nashville. He tanked a brutal uncalled challenge in the first half, dusted himself off, and dominated the midfield scrap, recovering second balls and disrupting New York's build-up all evening. His touch in the final third has been much cleaner as of late.
Stock: Unchanged
Elias Saad - 6.5
Elias Saad showed his signature flair on the wing, including a dazzling 23rd-minute run that turned three Red Bull defenders inside out. He kept RBNY's fullbacks pinned back before being replaced late in the second half.
Stock: Unchanged
Shak Mohammed - 6.0
Starting in place of Cristian Espinoza, Shak Mohammed struggled to find clean pockets of space when operating through the central channels against New York’s suffocating press. He worked hard off the ball before being subbed off in the 61st minute.
Stock: Unchanged
Hany Mukhtar - 7.0
The captain was ever-threatening as the focal point of Nashville's attack. He tested Ethan Horvath with a stinging long-range rocket in the 59th minute and nearly pulled off an acrobatic volley in the 80th, continuously drawing multi-player coverage to open gaps elsewhere.
Stock: Unchanged
Sam Surridge - 7.0
It was an agonizing night in front of goal for Sam Surridge; luck just wasn't on his side. Had a 24th-minute conversion ruled out for offside and missed a 1v1 chance in the 39th minute, but his hold-up work and endless pressuring kept New York's center-backs under constant stress. He continues to dominate at Geodis Park but is much more quiet on the road, with only one of his 12 regular-season goals coming away from home this year.
Stock: Unchanged
We'd love if you'd vote for us again in the Best Of Nashville 2026 awards!
• Best Sports Writer – Ben Wright or Valair Shabilla
• Best Sports Radio Show or Podcast – Pharma Soccer or Club & Country
• Best Photographer – Christina Moore or Mike Meredith
Substitutes
Andy Nájar - 6.5
Replaced Dan Lovitz at right back and immediately brought defensive composure, neutralizing Red Bulls' wide overloads in the final half-hour.
Stock: Unchanged
Cristian Espinoza - 7.0
Nashville's goal contributions leader came on for Shak Mohammed and delivered the moment of the match, whipping in a pinpoint 92nd-minute set piece to assist Woledzi's game-winner. He's up to 18 goal contributions in all competitions this season.
Stock: Up
Cristian tonight ⬇️
— Nashville SC (@NashvilleSC) August 20, 2026
💫 Cross for winning goal
🥈 Second in @MLS in assists (10)
☝️ First-ever NSC win at Red Bull
Nothing lucky about this No. 7 🇦🇷💪 pic.twitter.com/xOGlWWM64s
Ahmed Qasem - 6.0
Ahmed Qasem subbed in for Elias Saad to add defensive tracking and high-press energy as the match grew sloppy in the closing stages.
Stock: Unchanged
Patrick Yazbek - 6.5
The Aussie made his long-awaited return from injury, replacing Matt Corcoran and bringing fresh legs and tactical discipline to close out the midfield. Getting him back will be a major boost for Nashville down the stretch.
Stock: Unchanged
Josh Bauer - N/A
Josh Bauer was a late tactical swap to replace Reed Baker-Whiting at left back and lock down the flanks for the dramatic stoppage-time finish.
Stock: Unchanged
Manager
BJ Callaghan - 8.0
It certainly wasn't a vintage performance from Nashville, who were under considerable pressure from the Red Bulls for much of the match. However, this is the type of gritty win that Supporters' Shield-caliber teams are able to grind out. One sign of an elite team is winning matches even when they don't play particularly well, and BJ Callaghan's Nashville are doing that this season.
