NASHVILLE, TN - Nashville SC fell 1-0 to Atlanta United on Saturday at Geodis Park, failing to maintain the momentum from last weekend's dominant win over Orlando in one of the more disappointing results of the season.
The XI
Nashville head coach BJ Callaghan made no changes to the lineup that beat Orlando City 5-1, keeping a midfield pairing of Gastón Brugman and Patrick Yazbek and handing Jacob Shaffelburg a third-consecutive start.
Dan Lovitz returned to the bench after missing the last three matches with injury, while goalkeeper Xavier Valdez made his first appearance in a Nashville MLS squad with Brian Schwake starting in Huntsville.
On the pitch
The match was chippy and open from the outset. Nashville controlled the ball for long stretches of the match early on, and even though they advanced it into some promising spots in the final third, they couldn't turn chances into shots. They hadn't even managed a shot when Ronald Hernández opened the scoring for Atlanta, heading a set piece from new signing Steven Alzate off the post and in.
Just like they drew it up! @ATLUTD take the lead on the road!
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) August 31, 2025
📺 #MLSSeasonPass: https://t.co/wxuNkv7Hji pic.twitter.com/cfkpS9ItQd
Nashville had a pair of looks to equalize via Sam Surridge on either side of the halftime break. The Golden Boot leader put the ball in the net after Josh Bauer flicked on a corner kick, but the ball came off his hand and was disallowed after video review.
Shortly after the halftime break, Surridge had a golden chance to add to his tally following a perfect chipped pass from Brugman, but with time and space to pick his spot, he smashed the shot off the crossbar.
— - (@back_post_run) August 31, 2025
As the match went on, Nashville continued to pepper the goal. Mukhtar especially received the ball in good packets in the penalty area, but he was met instantly with pressure from a packed Atlanta defense, and neither he nor Surridge were at their sharpest in front of goal.
As the 'Yotes continued to push for an equalizer, Tyler Boyd made his return to the pitch, 409 days after tearing his ACL. Even with numbers thrown forward, though, Nashville really struggled to generate quality looks at goal. The few times they did, the final product let them down, and the visitors held on for a surprise three points.
Goals
- 24' | ATL | Ronald Hernández (Steven Alzate)
The big picture
Given the scenario, this is among the more disappointing results for Nashville this season. At home, fighting for the Supporters' Shield trophy against a team on the brink of elimination, the Coyotes lacked quality when it counted.
Surridge and Mukhtar were wasteful in front of goal, and the decision-making from the rest of the attack was subpar. Even though they kept the ball well and maintained pressure, the Five Stripes defended resolutely to keep their slim playoff hopes alive.
Nashville will have two weeks to ruminate before an incredibly difficult trip to FC Cincinnati on September 13.
Up next
The FIFA international break is next week, and Nashville will have the weekend off from MLS play. They'll travel to Huntsville on Wednesday for the annual Space Cowboy match against their MLS NEXT Pro affiliate, but are expected to rotate heavily.
Stats
Possession: NSH 509% – 41% ATL
Total Passes: NSH 464 – 325 ATL
Shots: NSH 19 – 9 ATL
Shots on goal: NSH 6 – 4 ATL
Penalty kicks: NSH 0 – 0 ATL
Goals: NSH 0 – 1 ATL
Expected goals:
Fouls: NSH 11 – 14 ATL
Yellow cards: NSH 2 – 7 ATL
Red cards: NSH 0 – 0 ATL
Announced attendance: 27,270
