NASHVILLE, TN – After being shut out in Seattle on April 20, the “Boys in Gold” returned home to Nashville looking for redemption. Finding gaps in the defense and capitalizing on penalties, they got more than just a little — obliterating Chicago Fire FC 7–2.
No one likes being on the receiving end of a shutout. It can be heartbreaking. Confidence-killing. It can make you angry. It can send a team into a downward spiral that leads to self-loathing, apathy, laziness, and heavy drinking — but enough about me. Nashville SC took it on the chin on the road, but they were determined to bounce back at home.
As SC coach BJ Callaghan simply put it, “They came out tonight as a single unit and put on a solid performance.”
That performance started early. Nashville quickly began dismantling Chicago Fire FC’s defense and clearly frustrating them. Not even a third of the way through the first half, Chicago committed a foul inside their own penalty box, setting up a penalty kick for Nashville center forward Sam Surridge. Having netted a game-winning penalty at GEODIS Park just a few weeks prior, this was familiar ground for him. As he lined up against FC goalkeeper Chris Brady, he stuck with what worked before: anticipating Brady would guess left or right, Surridge instead went straight down the center, easily finding the back of the net.
Just minutes later, NSC was gifted another opportunity — this time via a corner kick. Nashville captain Hany Mukhtar delivered a perfectly lofted ball that whipped across the front of the goal. Center back Jeisson Palacios saw a gap in the defense, surged forward, and connected with a header that sailed past Brady’s hands. Not even halfway through the half, the hometown squad had built a comfortable 2–0 lead.
Chicago, meanwhile, just couldn’t find their rhythm. Nashville exploited their lack of cohesion. As the visitors' offense sputtered, their defense looked worn out. NSC pressed forward again, this time with three attackers charging downfield. Coming down the right, winger Jacob Shaffelburg crossed the ball high to center midfielder Alex Muyl on the left. On the replay, it’s still hard to name the move Shaffelburg used to redirect the ball, but it beat the trailing defender and found Mukhtar perfectly positioned in the center for an easy tap-in. It was now 3–0 — and there was still plenty of time left in the first half.
So why stop there?
Mukhtar was on the move again, this time charging down the right with Muyl in support. A quick pass, a burst of speed past the lone defender, and Mukhtar calmly slotted the ball across the face of the goal and into the left side. Yes, it was really 4–0.
At this point, it was hard not to empathize with Brady. He’d faced an onslaught and done what he could. In hockey, this might be the moment the coach says, “It’s not your night,” and swaps out the goalie. But in soccer, there’s no such reprieve. Brady had to gather himself in front of 24,771 spectators and carry on.
Then, another penalty occurred in the box. Another showdown: Brady vs. Surridge. After all the shots he’d already faced — including a previous penalty — you have to imagine Brady’s internal monologue was something like, You’ve got to be kidding me!
Surridge approached with a stutter step. Brady, likely anticipating a repeat of the center shot, hesitated. He lingered just long enough to get a hand on the ball — but not enough to stop it. Once again, the ball found the net.
Both teams headed into halftime with drastically different mindsets. Nashville needed a plan to maintain the lead. Chicago? Well, they needed a plan to survive.
Though the second half didn’t match the first in sheer dominance, each team still managed to score twice — which is, frankly, still an absurd pace. Even with seven total goals, Coach Callaghan reflected, “The locker room is excited about the match, but there’s the sting that we let in two goals.”
Yeah… life’s tough sometimes.
For Chicago, the seven-hour ride home was probably filled with a chorus of mental replays and regret. For Nashville, it’s business as usual as they now prepare for a quick trip south to face Atlanta United on May 3.
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