Hany Mukhtar was the hero for Nashville SC against the Columbus Crew on Saturday night, coming on as a halftime substitute to score a game-winning goal in the last seconds of the match.
The vibe check (TL;DR)
- What happened: Nashville SC grabbed a late winner, with second-half substitute Hany Mukhtar finding the net in the 94th minute. The goal was the 25,000th in MLS history.
- What we learned: The 'Yotes continue to be defensively solid, allowing just two goals in seven matches in all competitions this season. While earning their second clean sheet on the road, they also showed their quality late in the match, bringing in their heavy-hitting attackers in the second half to earn a valuable three points.
- Big picture: Head coach BJ Callaghan rotated his squad heavily, making eight changes to the lineup that played midweek against Miami, with an eye towards the return leg next Wednesday. To do that and also earn a win away from home is a testament to their quality.
Highlights
Key moments
- 18' | Taha Habroune appeared to have opened the scoring for Columbus, but a VAR review determined that Max Arfsten was offside in the buildup,
- 90+4' | Second half substitutes Hany Mukhtar and Cristian Espinoza combine for a late winner, with the former San Jose Earthquakes captain putting Rudy Camacho on skates and setting up Mukhtar for the tap-in!
Standout performers
- Again, Patrick Yazbek was key. Coming into the match in the 60th minute, the Australian provided real quality on the ball and shifted momentum towards Nashville.
- Hany Mukhtar was aggressive as soon as he entered the match as a halftime substitute, and his late winner was well deserved.
- Cristian Espinoza put in good service all throughout his shift, but absolutely demolished Rudy Camacho with a shifty dribble before putting the ball on a platter for Mukhtar.
Cristian Espinoza stole a man's soul here. pic.twitter.com/7MVGarqQIf
— Ben Wright (@benwright) March 15, 2026
Lineup notes
BJ Callaghan made eight changes to his team, putting players like Hany Mukhtar, Sam Surridge, Cristian Espinoza, and Patrick Yazbek on the bench, while giving Woobens Pacius his first MLS start.
What it means
A draw would have been a solid result for Nashville, given their rotation and the quality of their opponent. Getting three points is massive and strengthens their early credentials as a real contender in MLS.
Up next
Nashville will head to Ft. Lauderdale on Wednesday for the second leg of their Concacaf Champions Cup Round of 16 series with Inter Miami. After a 0-0 draw last week at Geodis Park, they'll need a result on the road against Miami, a huge ask for any team.
Stats
Possession: CLB 57% – 43% MIN
Total Passes: CLB 551 – 398 NSH
Shots: CLB 8 – 8 NSH
Shots on goal: CLB 2 – 4 NSH
Penalty kicks: CLB 0 – 0 NSH
Goals: CLB 0 – 1 NSH
Expected goals: CLB 0.23 – 1.10 NSH
Fouls: CLB 4 – 12 NSH
Yellow cards: CLB 1 – 5 NSH
Red cards: CLB 0 – 0 NSH
