Nashville SC clinched their first-ever Supporters’ Shield on Saturday. Their next step? Making MLS history.
Nashville (21-3-7, 70 points) hosts the Philadelphia Union (13-11-7, 46 points) Wednesday evening, with the league points record — 74 — in sight with three matches remaining. That mark was set by Lionel Messi and Inter Miami in 2024.
Nashville SC didn’t get to this point by accident, head coach B.J. Callaghan noted on Tuesday.
“We know that if we put in that daily work and guys step up with their numbers called, then these outcomes will occur and these accomplishments for the club and for the players will occur,” Callaghan said. “I don’t think we consume ourselves too much about that, because we know all the inputs that we have is what’s going to create those winning moments.”
Hany Mukhtar and Sam Surridge scored for Nashville SC during Saturday’s Shield-clinching 2-0 win against CF Montreal. The duo has combined for 35 of Nashville’s 66 goals this season.
Meanwhile, Philadelphia’s 15-match unbeaten streak (12-0-3) ended Saturday with a 2-1 loss to the New England Revolution.
But the Union, currently sixth in the Eastern Conference, will be short-handed against Nashville. Leading scorer Milan Iloski (19 goals) is out with a hamstring injury. Second-leading scorer Bruno Damiani (12 goals) will serve a one-match suspension due to yellow-card accumulation.
Philadelphia could see the return of Cavan Sullivan (seven goals, 14 assists) after he missed Saturday’s match with an ankle injury. Sullivan is questionable against Nashville, interim head coach Ryan Richter said on Monday.
Even with the core of their attack out, that hasn’t changed the Union’s mindset heading into Wednesday.
“The guys are excited for it and ready to bounce back from what wasn’t our best performance, and what better way to be able to send a message of where we actually are at than against a team that just won the Supporters’ Shield,” Richter said.
Nashville SC’s 14 home wins are tied with 2023’s FC Cincinnati for the MLS regular-season record. Their 10 consecutive home wins are tied with two others (2023’s FC Cincinnati, 2002’s San Jose Earthquakes) for most in MLS history.
–Field Level Media
