Following their huge win against Inter Miami, Nashville SC continued their winning ways by beating the New York Red Bulls. It was a tight contest with chances for both teams, but ultimately the Boys in Gold found the winner in the 92nd minute through Maxwell Woledzi.
The vibe check (TL;DR)
- What happened: Nashville weathered the storm and came out of Sports Illustrated Arena with a win. The Red Bulls were the more dangerous team, but they couldn't finish their chances.
- What we learned: Nashville have proven able to find different ways of winning, and their defensive stability makes them a very hard team to play against. Also, Brian Schwake may just be the best goalkeeper in MLS.
- Big picture: Nashville continue to extend their lead in the Supporters' Shield standings. With Inter Miami dropping points, the Boys in Gold will now have some breathing room.
We'd love if you'd vote for us again in the Best Of Nashville 2026 awards!
• Best Sports Writer – Ben Wright or Valair Shabilla
• Best Sports Radio Show or Podcast – Pharma Soccer or Club & Country
• Best Photographer – Christina Moore or Mike Meredith
Key moments
- 10' | A great chance for Jualian Hall, set up by Adri Mehmeti, the youngster chips Brian Schwake, but his attempt goes wide.
- 23' | Sam Surridge puts the ball at the back of the net, but offside is called seconds later. Eddi Tagseth takes advantage of a mistake by Red Bulls defense; the ball hits Ronald Donkor's foot on the way to Surridge. However, Donkor never had control of it, offside.
- 34' | Big save from Schwake. Emil Forsberg receives the ball in Nashville's box, beats Jack Maher, and is one-on-one with Nashville's keeper. Schwake makes himself big and saves it with his foot.
- 41' | Nashville beat Red Bulls' press. Matt Corcoran plays a great ball to Surridge, who's all alone but has about 60 yards to go. He makes it to the box, but his effort is saved by Ethan Horvath.
- 59' | Hany Mukhtar takes a great shot from outside the box, but Horvath is there with a block for a corner.
- 82' | Nashville put the ball in the back of the net again, but another offside was called; this time it was Maxwell Woledzi.
- 92' | Goal Woledzi! A set piece from midfield is sent beautifully from Cristian Espinoza into Woledzi's head. The Ghanaian finishes it well.
Standout performers
- Brian Schwake once again proved to be a difference-maker for the Boys in Gold. He came up with a huge save in the first half to keep things level and was solid throughout the match. The match was his 14th clean sheet of the season, setting the single-season record for Nashville in the MLS era, and just one behind Matt Pickens' 2018 record of 15.
Ben Wright
- Maxwell Woledzi continues to be one of – if not the – best center-backs in MLS. He topped his great performance at the back with a late winner to give Nashville all three points.
- Both of Nashville's midfielders played well, but Eddi Tagseth was a standout. He covered a lot of ground and was really positive with the ball.
Lineup notes
Patrick Yazbek returned to the matchday squad after missing 13 games due to injury. The Aussie is slated to play a huge role for Nashville going forward.
In the starting lineup, Dan Lovitz, Jack Maher and Shak Mohammed were the three changes BJ Callaghan opted for. With three games in eight days, some rotation is expected.
What it means
Nashville were able to rotate and struggle away from home, yet still get the win. The group's determination is a clear sign of a championship side. With them in the driver's seat of the Supporters' Shield race, it's hard to look at this Nashville side as anything other than the best team in the league.
Nashville SC's Supporters' Shield lead is now up to seven points over Inter Miami, and nine points over Vancouver Whitecaps (who still have two games in hand). Their win tonight puts them on pace for 78 points, which would break Inter Miami's 2024 single-season record of 74.
— Ben Wright (@benwright.bsky.social) August 19, 2026 at 9:09 PM
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Up next
The Boys in Gold return home to Geodis Park to take on the Columbus Crew on Saturday night.
Stats
Possession: NSH 51.6% – 48.4% RBNY
Field tilt (per Futi): NSH 47 – 53 RBNY
Shots: NSH 10 – 13 RBNY
Shots on goal: NSH 3 – 1 RBNY
Penalty kicks: NSH 0 – 0 RBNY
Goals: NSH 1 – 0 RBNY
Expected goals: NSH 0.83 – 2.18 RBNY
Total Passes: NSH 425 – 504 RBNY
Fouls: NSH 11 – 4 RBNY
Yellow cards: NSH 2 – 1 RBNY
Red cards: NSH 0 – 0 RBNY
Deserved win (per Futi): NSH 4% – 41% RBNY
