NASHVILLE, TN - Nashville SC fought back from two goals down to draw 2-2 with Aston Villa on Saturday night in their first match ever against a Premier League club.
Sam Surridge, tied with Lionel Messi for the MLS Golden Boot lead, came off the bench to spark a comeback against the UEFA Champions League quarterfinalists in front of 20,905 fans at Geodis Park.
The XI
Head coach BJ Callaghan made eight changes to the lineup that lost in San Diego. Designated players Hany Mukhtar and Walker Zimmerman weren't even in the lineup, with Sam Surridge on the bench. Brian Schwake made a rare start in goal, with Wyatt Meyer getting the nod at left back.
Aston Villa head coach Unai Emery went with essentially a first-choice squad. England international Ollie Watkins led the line, with Amadou Onana and Boubacar Kamara forming a formidable midfield duo.
On the pitch
Nashville struggled initially to start the match, unsurprisingly given the level of competition. Aston Villa controlled the ball for long stretches, and found pockets of space in and around the box. They opened the scoring early, when a pinpoint cross from the foot of left back Lucas Digne found Ollie Watkins in the box, and the England international cut in front of Jeisson Palacios for a dominant header.
Ollie Watkins scores goals 💥
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) August 2, 2025
Goalkeeper Brian Schwake was called on multiple times, showing up with some spectacular saves to keep the Villains from extending the lead. Teal Bunbury came close to a goal after one such save, forcing Emiliano Martínez into a quick stop at the far post.
As the first half wore on, Nashville began to find more space. Gastón Brugman, in particular, was lethal with the ball at his feet, picking out several juicy entry passes, with one being finished off by Alex Muyl before a late offside flag ruled the goal out.
With heavy changes for both sides at halftime, the match became much more open. 19-year-old Matt Corcoran, who had struggled with his footing a few times, was caught flat-footed on a short goal kick from Xavier Valdez, misjudging the path of the ball and giving it away cheaply for an easy Villa goal.
With the Coyotes down by two goals, Sam Surridge put in a star performance. The MLS Golden Boot leader set up Corcoran to pull one back, flicking the ball in behind cleverly to set up the youngster for an easy finish. Surridge capped off the comeback with a spectacular finish, stealing the ball from Ezri Konsa and curling a perfectly-placed strike off the far post and in.
This Englishman knows a thing or two about scoring 🦸♂️🏴 pic.twitter.com/vMGGUzirwu
— Nashville SC (@NashvilleSC) August 3, 2025
Goals
- 18' | AVL | Ollie Watkins
- 64' | AVL | Donyell Malen
- 75' | NSH | Matt Corcoran
- 84' | NSH | Sam Surridge
The big picture
Aston Villa are a club still in the midst of preseason. The sixth-place finishers from last Premier League season have just two weeks left before kicking off their 2025-26 campaign, a season in which they'll be competing in the UEFA Europa League. While head coach Unai Emery fielded a strong lineup, they clearly weren't in midseason form.
Meanwhile, Nashville are in midseason form and have shown to be one of the best teams in MLS, but they rotated heavily, with as many as seven starters on the bench or not even in the squad. Callaghan called up Jordan Knight from Huntsville City, and the young left-back was stellar off the bench.
While the match didn't count for anything beyond the 90 minutes, it was encouraging to see Nashville hold their own with one of the elite sides in Europe. And while the draw won't add any points to their MLS table, it sends them off for the final nine matches of the regular season in good, confident form.
Up next
Nashville are back in MLS action next weekend, traveling West for a match against St. Louis City on August 9. With nine matches left to place, the Coyotes are in third place in the Eastern Conference and three points behind Philadelphia for the Supporters' Shield lead.
