NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Nashville SC got their first win of the 2025 season during the club's Barbie theme night, beating Portland Timbers 2-0 at Geodis Park on Saturday night, thanks to a pair of debut goals from Andy Najar and Ahmed Qasem.
The XI
Head coach BJ Callaghan went with the lineup he used to close out their 2-0 loss to New York Red Bulls, pairing Eddi Tagseth and Patrick Yazbek in central midfield from the start. Ahmed Qasem made his first start in gold on the right wing.
Nashville SC Starting XI vs Portland Timbers: Willis; Lovitz, Maher, Zimmerman ©, Najar; Tagseth, Yazbek; Muyl, Qasem; Surridge, Mukhtar BENCH: Schwake, Brugman, Bunbury, Corcoran, Bauer, Washington, Pérez, Meyer, Applewhite #NSHvPOR
— SixOneFive Soccer (@sixonefivesoccer.com) 2025-03-09T00:33:52.639Z
On the pitch
Despite absolutely dominating from the run of play, the match got off to an awful start for Nashville. Portland goalkeeper James Pantemis made a pair of saves from the penalty spot to deny Hany Mukhtar and Sam Surridge respectively, seemingly signaling another frustrating outing for Nashville.
With the final kick of the first half, though, Andy Najar swung the momentum to the home side. The right back continued his standout season with a low blast into the bottom corner following an extended spell of possession for the Coyotes.
Andy Nájar fires @NashvilleSC into the lead at the brink of half-time! 👀 pic.twitter.com/5J6puH0AP7
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) March 9, 2025
Shortly after rattling the crossbar with a curling effort, Ahmed Qasem grabbed a debut goal of his own, heading home a cross from Dan Lovitz to give Nashville a much-deserved 2-0 win. The three points were Nashville's first of the 2025 campaign, and also marks their first-ever win over the Portland Timbers.
The big picture
Nashville were dominant on the pitch. Even the two penalties they missed in the first half were the result of their noticeable improvements in possession. The midfield pairing of Tagseth and Yazbek controlled the game in a way Nashville fans aren't used to seeing, pulling the Timbers from side to side and smothering them with a relentless counter-press.
While Hany Mukhtar will be disappointed with his penalty miss, he had a quietly stellar evening. He led the team with four chances created, and his combination with Najar and Qasem down the right flank led to many of Nashville's best looks. Surridge, similarly, put in an incredible effort defensively, winning 12 duels and covering 7.3 miles.
Nashville SC get their first win of 2025, thanks to debut goals from Andy Najar and Ahmed Qasem. 📸 @cmoorestoryteller.bsky.social
— SixOneFive Soccer (@sixonefivesoccer.com) 2025-03-09T03:35:23.068Z
"For us, it's, you know, we have a saying that everybody attacks, everybody defends," said Callaghan after the match. "It is a demand that we put on every single person. And every person has a role in that counter press. That's just the standard and our norm. Highlighting Sam doing that work is is tremendous. But for us, we know it's just part the way that we want to play."
The Timbers are certainly a team with their own issues, and a win against a struggling side on a cross-country road trip doesn't immediately mean Nashville are one of MLS's elite sides. But for the time in 2025, and arguably since Callaghan has taken charge, the Coyotes put in a complete, 90 minute performance playing the type of front-foot, proactive, attacking soccer they've promised. It was the first real look at "Nashville SC 2.0".
Up next
Nashville travel to take on the Philadelphia Union next Sunday, March 16, at 1:30 pm CT. The Union lead the MLS Eastern Conference with three wins from their first three matches, outscoring their opponents 10-3 in the process.
Post-match media
Highlights
Stats
Possession: NSH 57% - 43% POR
Passes completed: NSH 512 - 352 POR
Shots: NSH 24 - 9 POR
Shots on goal: NSH 12 - 4 POR
Penalty kicks: NSH 2 – 0 POR
Expected goals: NSH 3.36 - 0.54 POR
Goals: NSH 2 - 0 POR
Fouls: NSH 9 - 9 POR
Yellow cards: NSH 0 - 2 POR
Red cards: NSH 0 - 0 POR
