NASHVILLE, TN – Nashville SC sealed their spot in the MLS Cup Playoffs on Saturday night, with a dominant 3-1 win over the Houston Dynamo before Wednesday's trip to the US Open Cup final.
In honor of Nashville SC's trip to the US Open Cup final, new subscribers can get 25% off a Capo-tier membership now through October 1!
The XI
With the US Open Cup final looming on Wednesday night, Nashville SC head coach BJ Callaghan opted against rotation, fielding an incredibly strong lineup with Nashville looking for a win. Walker Zimmerman returned to the bench after missing two matches with injury.
On the pitch
The match got off to a perfect start for the Coyotes. Hany Mukhtar put the home side ahead just 70 seconds into the match, pouncing on a loose ball in the box after Alex Muyl won back possession. Houston's misery was compounded seven minutes later, when Erik Sviatchenko pulled Mukhtar down on the edge of the box and saw a red card for denying an obvious goal scoring opportunity.
With a man advantage, Nashville peppered Houston's goal, flashing cross after cross across the front of the goal. Just before the break, though, the hosts equalized through Júnior Urso, who roped a shot into the top corner, leaving Joe Willis without a chance.
Nashville came out of the break like they had started. Three minutes into the half, Sam Surridge bagged his 22nd goal of the year (27th in all competitions), flicking a header from Dan Lovitz past goalkeeper Jonathan Bond to put the 'Yotes ahead. Andy Nájar doubled the lead shortly after, smashing a shot in from a tight angle.
Super Sam strikes for @NashvilleSC! 🦸
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) September 28, 2025
He's now up to 22 goals on the season. 👀 pic.twitter.com/ul3kCMhkQq
With the lead firmly in the bag, Nashville were content to keep the ball for the closing stages. Willis was forced into a late save after a sloppy giveaway in the box, but by and large Nashville saw the result out without issue.
Goals
- 2' | NSH | Hany Mukhtar (Alex Muyl)
- 40' | HOU | Júnior Urso (Lawrence Ennali)
- 48' | NSH | Sam Surridge (Dan Lovitz, Eddi Tagseth)
- 50' | NSH | Andy Nájar
The big picture
Nashville SC officially clinched a playoff spot with New York Red Bulls' 3-2 loss to New York City FC, but they made sure of it with a dominant win at Geodis Park.
Nashville SC are officially heading to the playoffs! With the New York Red Bulls loss, the Boys In Gold clinch their fifth playoff spot in six seasons.
— SixOneFive Soccer (@sixonefivesoccer.com) 2025-09-28T01:56:38.157Z
The win pushes them into sixth place in the Eastern Conference table, giving them a three point lead over eighth-place Columbus Crew and the play-in round. The victory also keeps them within touching distance of a top four finish and home field advantage in Round One, with just three points separating Nashville from Inter Miami and NYCFC.
Crucially, Nashville left the match with no new injuries, and even allowed them to rest players like Nájar, Yazbek, Surridge and Mukhtar ahead of Wednesday's US Open Cup final. With just 90 minutes between Nashville and the first trophy by a major Tennessee professional sports team, it's a massive opportunity for the club and the city.
Up next
Nashville will travel to Texas on Tuesday for the US Open Cup final in Austin, a chance to win the first trophy in club history.
Stats
Possession: NSH 67% – 33% HOU
Total Passes: NSH 593 – 272 HOU
Shots: NSH 18 – 8 HOU
Shots on goal: NSH 7 – 4 HOU
Penalty kicks: NSH 0 – 0 HOU
Goals: NSH 3 – 1 HOU
Expected goals:
Fouls: NSH 18 – 9 HOU
Yellow cards: NSH 2 – 0 HOU
Red cards: NSH 0 – 1 HOU
Announced attendance: 27,763
