Recap: Second-half collapse leads to Nashville SC loss in Charlotte

Nashville SC started their 2-1 loss in fantastic form and looked set for a crucial win on the road, but a scary injury to Walker Zimmerman and defensive struggles in the second half doomed them to their second-straight loss.

The XI

BJ Callaghan made two changes to the team that lost to FC Cincinnati last weekend, bringing back Andy Najar into the lineup in place of Josh Bauer. Gastón Brugman also returned to the lineup over Patrick Yazbek.

On the pitch

It was a tale of two halves for Nashville. The Coyotes were dominant in the first half, controlling possession and moving the ball incredibly effectively. They outshot Charlotte 7-0 in the opening 45 minutes and strung together several long passing sequences.

Just over 30 minutes into the match, Hany Mukhtar opened the scoring with his first goal from open play of 2025. The 2022 MLS MVP found himself on the end of nearly identical chance to one he missed against Cincinnati, and he made no mistake with the finish this time.

The second half was a different story. Charlotte came out of the break energized and much more cohesive. They were the ones pushing the tempo and dictating play, making it difficult for Nashville to find a foothold.

Things took a scary turn for Nashville in the 72nd minute. Defender Walker Zimmerman dove to head the ball clear, and caught the full force of a Kerwin Vargas bicycle kick attempt to the face. Zimmerman received lengthy medical treatment on the pitch before being stretchered off in a neck brace.

Jeisson Palacios replaced him for his MLS debut, but Nashville struggled without their captain, looking disorganized and disjointed. Charlotte took advantage when Andy Najar brought down Wilfried Zaha in the box. The Ivorian international stepped up for the resulting penalty kick and equalized calmly.

Charlotte grabbed all three points just five minutes later. Pep Biel played a great slipped pass for substitute Idan Toklomati, who took advantage of some sloppy defending from Nashville, rounding Joe Willis and slotting the ball into an empty net.

Up next

Nashville are back home at Geodis Park next weekend, taking on Real Salt Lake on Saturday night.

The big picture

Like in their loss to Cincinnati, Nashville probably deserved more from this match. They were fantastic in the first half, with Hany Mukhtar's goal capping off one of his better performances of the year and Gastón Brugman pulling the strings in midfield. The should have gone into the break with more than a single-goal lead.

While Charlotte had improved significantly after halftime, it's hard not to wonder what could have been if Zimmerman had stayed on the pitch. His injury was an incredibly scary moment, and his long-term health is obviously a significantly higher priorty than the result to any match. But Nashville struggled mightily without him, and the second goal they conceded especially felt preventable.

After their three-match win streak, Nashville have now lost two in a row. While their performances haven't been concerning, their match against Real Salt Lake on Saturday is suddenly crucial to avoid a slide.

Highlights

Stats

Possession: CLT 53% - 47% NSH
Passes completed: CLT 420 - 357 NSH
Shots: CLT 5 - 13 NSH
Shots on goal: CLT 4 - 7 NSH
Penalty kicks: CLT 1 - 0 NSH
Goals: CLT 2 - 1 NSH
Expected goals: CLT 1.82 - 1.42 NSH
Fouls: CLT 12 - 19 NSH
Yellow cards: CLT 3 - 2 NSH
Red cards: CLT 0 - 0 NSH