Reed Baker-Whiting, Elias Saad, Abdul Shakur Mohammed and Hany Mukhtar scored goals as visiting Nashville SC dominated throughout and beat Austin FC 4-1 on Saturday in a late-season interconference match.
Saad’s goal in the 67th minute gave Nashville a 2-0 lead and proved to be the game-winner after Austin tightened the match with a goal by Brandon Vazquez in the 76th minute. Mohammed’s tally in the 88th minute all but iced the victory, and Mukhtar capped the scoring one minute into stoppage time.
Nashville (19-3-6, 63 points) won its third straight match and built on its quest for the Supporters’ Shield as well as their chance to set the record for most points by a team in a season. Inter Miami hold that mark with 74 points, set in 2024.
Nashville SC have already established a club mark for most points in a campaign and are the only team to have clinched a spot in the postseason.
Austin FC (7-11-10, 31 points) had their franchise-record eight-game unbeaten streak snapped. The loss was the first in league play for the Verde since Aug. 16.
Nashville broke through in the 31st minute when Patrick Yazbek clanged a shot off the left post that was quickly pounced on by Baker-Whiting, who headed the rebound into the middle of the box past Austin keeper Brad Stuver (seven saves) to put Nashville on top 1-0.
Nashville missed a huge opportunity to add to the lead in the 66th minute when Mukhtar’s point-blank shot was saved by Stuver and he then missed to the right of the open goal when he pounced on the rebound.
But Nashville kept to the attack, and it paid dividends a minute later. Cristian Espinoza tested Stuver with a shot from the keeper’s left and the rebound rolled toward the back post and right onto the foot of Saad, who easily pushed it across the line to double the lead.
Vazquez gave the Verde hope when he turned a pass from Facundo Torres into a goal past Nashville goalkeeper Brian Schwake (five saves), but that was Austin’s lone highlight of the match.
–Field Level Media
