Nashville SC continued their hot streak on Saturday night, extending their unbeaten run to eight matches in all competitions with a 2-1 win over Toronto FC on the road, courtesy of a brace from striker Sam Surridge.
The XI
After rotating heavily in Wednesday's 3-2 win over Orlando City in the US Open Cup Round of 16, head coach BJ Callaghan returned to a more typical lineup. Gastón Brugman missed out after being listed as questionable with a hip injury on the availability report.
Nashville SC Starting XI vs Toronto FC Willis; Lovitz, Maher, Palacios, Najar; Yazbek, Tagseth; Muyl, Shaffelburg; Surridge, Mukhtar © BENCH: Schwake, Acosta, Bunbury, Corcoran, Bauer, Pérez, Zimmerman, Meyer, Qasem
— SixOneFive Soccer (@sixonefivesoccer.com) 2025-05-24T22:34:21.872Z
Crucially, captain Walker Zimmerman returned to the squad after missing the last nine matches. The defender suffered a concussion against Charlotte FC, and Callaghan said Nashville found out just two days ago that he might be able to participate. Zimmerman came off the bench for the final 17 minutes to help close out the result.
Ben Wright
On the pitch
As has become standard procedure, Nashville controlled much of the match from the opening whistle. They moved the ball well through the middle third, but struggled at times to create clear-cut chances against Toronto's backline. They had a few looks, but nothing consistently threatening.
After the break, things switched. Patrick Yazbek and Eddi Tagseth were much more effective in midfield, able to move the ball from side to side more quickly and finding feet in the final third. Nashville also made a more concerted effort to make and find runs in behind, a key part of their game model that they struggled to implement in the opening 45.
Their opening goal came from just such a run. Andy Najar picked out a perfect ball over the top for Hany Mukhtar, who volleyed a perfectly-weighted cross into the feet of Surridge, who had the simplest of finishes into an empty net.
Sam Surridge fires @NashvilleSC into the lead!
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 25, 2025
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Surridge made it a brace just before the 90th minute. Toronto 'keeper Sean Johnson stood on his head for a 30-minute stretch, denying Mukhtar twice with a pair of spectacular saves. He could do nothing to stop Surridge's strike after the forward was played through on goal by substitute Jonny Pérez, roofing his shot into the top of the net.
The strike would prove to be the winner for Nashville. A minute into stoppage time, Toronto captain Jonathan Osorio picked up the ball in midfield after Surridge and Tagseth got in each other's way, driving towards goal before unleashing an unstoppable rocket into the top corner. Joe Willis was left completely frozen.
Ultimately Nashville were able to hold onto the lead, earning a difficult and valuable point on the road.
The big picture
Nashville's form keeps getting better. After Wednesday's crucial Open Cup win, they got another win on a really difficult road trip, and they're up to third place in the Eastern Conference.
Hany Mukhtar and Sam Surridge look in fine form in the final third, and their connection in the second half was encouraging. Surridge is up to eight goals on the season, tied for third in the MLS Golden Boot race.
Even more important was Walker Zimmerman's return. Nashville were excellent without him – they lost just once match, and outscored opponents 18-8 in all competitions. It's a testament to the defensive depth they've developed. But also, adding one of the most dominant defenders in North America into an already thriving team should make Nashville even better.
Up next
No rest for the weary. Nashville are back on the road on Wednesday, heading to Columbus for an enticing match against the fifth-placed Crew. They'll return to Nashville at the weekend for a home match against New York City FC, before a much-needed week off.
Stats
Possession: TOR 50% – 50% NSH
Passes completed: TOR 355 – 341 NSH
Shots: TOR 9 – 17 NSH
Shots on goal: TOR 3 – 6 NSH
Penalty kicks: TOR 0 – 0 NSH
Goals: TOR 1 – 2 NSH
Expected goals: TOR 0.80 – 2.64 NSH
Fouls: TOR 7 – 9 NSH
Yellow cards: TOR 2 – 0 NSH
Red cards: TOR 0 – 0 NSH
Announced attendance: 19,504
