NASHVILLE, TN - Nashville SC's record-setting 7-2 win over Chicago Fire FC on Saturday night was notable for many reasons. One crucial result of the match was a return to form for Hany Mukhtar.
The 2022 MLS MVP has drawn criticism from some Nashville fans for a slow start to the season, with questions about the 30-year-old's ability to be the same type of singular force he was from 2021 through 2023. A hefty contract extension at the start of 2024 made him the eighth-highest paid player in MLS, but was followed but a disappointing year on the pitch.
While Mukhtar's underlying numbers weren't bad heading into Saturday's match, there was a growing sense among some of the more vocal parts of Nashville's fanbase that he was underperforming. Two missed penalties this season further compounded the concerns.
And then, as he always seems to do against the Fire, Mukhtar went off.
4 GOALS IN 30 MIN 🤯@NashvilleSC can't stop scoring! pic.twitter.com/FRwSlISosX
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 27, 2025
Two goals and an assist capped off his most well-rounded performance of the season. For the first time in a long time, Hany Mukhtar looked like the old Hany Mukhtar, the player who led all of MLS with 54 goals from 2021 to 2023, a full 14 more than the next-closest player.
"For me personally, I'm always a little slow starter throughout my career," Mukhtar shrugged. "But oday it clicked, and I think with the first two or three big chances we scored and we looked very dangerous."
Nashville have certainly created chances. Heading into the Chicago match, only Vancouver had created more than their 19.02 expected goals. They had struggled to finish, though, finding the back of the net just 12 times. An optimistic reading would be that goals were coming.
"I had a couple of talks with the coach," said Mukhtar. "I feel like as long as you come into these situations each game and create a lot of chances, it will click... When we look back against Cincinnati, against all these teams, we had chances and that is a good sign. I think we have clear values, clear attacking principles, which helps us to create a lot of chances."
For all the concern about Hany Mukhtar's form this season, he's up to seven goal contributions in 10 matches this season.
— Ben Wright (@benwright) April 27, 2025
That's his best tally through the opening 10 games ever with Nashville SC.
📸 @cmoorestories pic.twitter.com/Q0IcaAYmGL
After another dominant showing against Chicago, Mukhtar's numbers are back to his typical elite level. In fact, he has more goals and assists through the first 10 matches of a season than he's ever had in Nashville. The key difference is that he's not the only one scoring.
Through 10 matches, nine different Nashville players have scored. Eight have assisted. Sam Surridge's four goals against the Fire have him just one goal off the Golden Boot lead. Mukhtar is stilla crucial piece of the puzzle, but Nashville don't live and die by his form.
"I think the front office did a wonderful job with the new additions," Mukhtar pointed out. "[Patrick] Yazbek, [Gastón] Brugman, Eddi [Tagseth], Andy [Najar]. You know, even today, we saw Jeisson [Palacios] – he's a really good player, and I think that helps the team that brings us to the next level."
While Mukhtar himself cautioned against taking too much from a single match, results like this add to the feeling that Nashville are on the right track under first-time head coach BJ Callaghan, and that they're just scratching the surface of their potential.
"I think in all aspects, we showed what we are capable of. That's the baseline."
