NASHVILLE, TN – Nashville SC were flying on Saturday night, putting up five goals on Orlando City in an absolute pasting that continues their club-record start to the season.
The vibe check (TL;DR)
- What happened: Nashville SC were simply miles better than Orlando from the opening whistle, who had fired head coach Óscar Pareja two weeks ago after just three matches. While the score ended 5-0, the 'Yotes could have won by even more.
- What we learned: Nashville are really, really good. Like... really good.
- Big picture: The win adds to the best start in club history. They've taken 13 points from their first five matches, and end the night as Supporters' Shield leaders.
Key moments
- 5' | Cristian Espinoza opens the scoring, with Nashville completely dominating the opening exchanges. The winger belts in a cross looking for Surridge, but ends up pinging it off the crossbar and in.
- 14' | Brian Schwake comes up with a massive save in the open field to deny Duncan McGuire, reaching out and slapping away the shot reflexively.
- 28' | Sam Surridge doubles the lead from the penalty spot, smashing a shot past Maxime Crépeau after Jeisson Palacios was hauled down in the box.
- 55' | It's a brace for Surridge. A pinpoint diagonal ball from Espinoza finds Hany Mukhtar in the box, who rolls it across to Alex Muyl. The midfielder cuts it back to give Surridge an easy finish.
- 58' | Griffin Dorsey rattles the post with Orlando's best look of the night, shooting past Schwake before the woodwork gives Nashville a lift.
- 67' | Surridge makes it a hat-trick, after an incredible run from Espinoza to body Zakaria Taifi off the ball and pick him out on the edge of the box.
- 78' | Fresh off the bench, Warren Madrigal decided to get in on the action, rocketing in a shot with his left foot from the edge of the box.
- 83' | Woobens Pacius plays Mukhtar through on goal with a perfectly-weighted through ball, but the DP puts his shot right at Crépeau and can't convert.
Standout performers
- Sam Surridge continues to shred MLS defenses. He's up to seven goals in four league matches, and has eight goals in all competitions. He looks like one of the easy favorites for the MLS Golden Boot.
- While Surridge got the hat-trick, Cristian Espinoza made everything happen. He was absolutely magnificent on the right win, terrorizing Orlando's defense with pinpoint distribution. His run to set up Surridge's third goal was special.
- Reed Baker-Whiting gave Nashville a major boost on the left side. His ability to break the first wave of pressure on the dribble opened up so much for Nashville. He was unfortunate to hobble off late in the second half with an injury.
Lineup notes
After knocking out Inter Miami in midweek Concacaf Champions Cup action, head coach BJ Callaghan fielded a full-strength squad against Orlando. Alex Muyl slotted into midfield, while Reed Baker-Whiting got the nod at left back ahead of Dan Lovitz.
What it means
Nashville's week seemed pretty good on Wednesday, eliminating Inter Miami and advancing to the Quarterfinals of the Concacaf Champions Cup. It got even better, lambasting an Orlando side for whom there is no love lost.
Through five games, Nashville have 13 points, their best start ever. It's time to start talking about them seriously as one of the elite sides in MLS.
Up next
Nashville are off next weekend, with MLS pausing their regular schedule for the FIFA international window. After a much-needed break, they'll travel to Chicago Fire on April 4, before taking on Club América at Geodis Park in the first leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup Quarterfinals.
Stats
Possession: NSH 57% – 43% ORL
Shots: NSH 19 – 9 ORL
Shots on goal: NSH 8 – 1 ORL
Penalty kicks: NSH 1 – 0 ORL
Goals: NSH 5 – 0 ORL
Expected goals: NSH 3.21 – 0.56 ORL
Total Passes: NSH 490 – 337 ORL
Fouls: NSH 15 – 5 ORL
Yellow cards: NSH 1 – 2 ORL
Red cards: NSH 0 – 0 ORL
Announced attendance: 27,167
