Hany Mukhtar and Andy Najar had a goal and an assist apiece and Sam Surridge also scored as the team with the best record in MLS cruised past the side with the worst as host Nashville SC blanked Sporting Kansas City 4-0 on Wednesday.
Mukhtar pulled off a bicycle-kick goal for his 15th tally of the season before Surridge added his 17th goal. The Coyotes especially dominated the first half as they built a three-goal lead by the 29th minute.
Warren Madrigal, making his first appearance in more than two months after recovering from a lower-body injury, converted a penalty kick in the final moments of second-half stoppage time.
Nashville SC (20-3-6, 66 points) won their fourth match in a row and extended their healthy lead in the Supporters’ Shield race. Nashville also improved to a terrific 14-0-1 at home this season.
Brian Schwake needed only one save to notch his MLS-high 13th shutout, as Nashville outshot Kansas City 20-8 overall and 12-1 in shots on target. Stefan Cleveland collected seven saves for SKC (6-19-4, 22 points).
Mukhtar had three defenders circling him in the box when Najar sent a high cross his way. The former MLS MVP swung his right leg up to meet the ball head-high and send it past a helpless Cleveland.
Less than seven minutes later, Reed Baker-Whiting took a pass up the left sideline and helped Nashville convert it into a quick goal. His centering pass found Mukhtar, who drew three defenders as he dribbled into the center of the box — leaving Surridge unmarked to his right. Mukhtar laid it off to Surridge, setting up a close-range rocket.
The result was more or less secured when Nashville added its third on a corner kick by Cristian Espinoza. Najar leapt into his header, which redirected the ball to the far post across Cleveland’s outstretched frame.
The Coyotes thought they had a fourth when Surridge hammered in a header from the left post, but VAR review ruled it no goal due to a handball.
VAR helped Nashville SC at the end of the match, though, after Madrigal’s attempted pass into the box glanced off Jansen Miller’s arm in the box. The review led to the handball call and Madrigal stepped to the spot to deliver the exclamation point.
–Field Level Media
