NASHVILLE, TN - Nashville SC overcame a disappointing first half against Real Salt Lake, coming from behind to earn three points at home thanks to a stoppage time winner from Sam Surridge.
The XI
Jeisson Palacios made his first start in MLS, replacing Walker Zimmerman, who continues to work through concussion protocol. It was otherwise an unchanged lineup from BJ Callaghan.
Nashville SC Starting XI vs Real Salt Lake Willis; Lovitz, Maher, Palacios, Najar; Tagseth, Brugman; Muyl, Qasem; Surridge, Mukhtar © BENCH: Schwake, Yazbek, Bunbury, Shaffelburg, Corcoran, Bauer, Washington, Pérez, Applewhite
— SixOneFive Soccer (@sixonefivesoccer.com) 2025-04-12T23:33:16.734Z
On the pitch
Nashville struggled heavily in the first half. Real Salt Lake were consistently first to the ball and much cleaner in possession, creating a couple decent looks before Dominik Marczuk opened the scoring after 12 minutes. Joe Willis spilled a curling shot from Diogo Gonçalves, and Marczuk pounced on the rebound to slot home from a tight angle.
Eventually Nashville settled into the match and found the equalizer. Dan Lovitz, who was the subject of a video review earlier for a potential red card, did his best Walker Zimmerman impression and smashed home a thundering header from a corner kick.
Off the corner! 😤
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 13, 2025
Daniel Lovitz finds the equalizer for @NashvilleSC! pic.twitter.com/kMDLzN2joF
After the halftime break, Nashville were significantly improved. They lookd much more composed in possession and were able to find consistent entry passes into Salt Lake's penalty area. Gastón Brugman, in particular, was consistently dangerous with the ball at his feet, while Ahmed Qasem and Hany Mukhtar linked up well.
After outshooting RSL 14-4 in the second half, it looked as though Nashville would be forced to settle for just a point. However, Nelson Palacio bundled Mukhtar over in the box with nearly 90 minutes on the box. Mukhtar initially grabbed the ball and headed to the spot, but handed it off to Sam Surridge at the last minute, and the Englishman made no mistake with the finish to give Nashville a deserved lead.
Sam Surridge finds the late go-ahead goal from the spot! @NashvilleSC take the lead with moments remaining in the match! pic.twitter.com/NkZyT5ItU9
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 13, 2025
The big picture
After losing their last two matches in second half stoppage time, it was a fitting arch for Nashville to finally get a late winner of their own. And after their struggles from the penalty spot earlier this year, seeing Surridge's spot kick ripple the net certainly assuaged some fears from the fanbase.
Jeisson Palacios was impressive in his full debut. The Colombian defender took a few minutes to get comfortable and settle in, but his improvement around 15 to 20 minutes in coincided with Nashville's regain of control. He put in several crucial challenges and took up really smart angles, defending really well in the open field. His distribution and composure on the ball was also vital to Nashville's second-half performance.
Unlike in Charlotte, where Nashville faded in the second half, Nashville got better as the match progressed. By the time they finally won the penalty kick, they had Salt Lake pinned deep in their own half. They were still more vulnerable to the counter attack than Callaghan would have liked, seemingly conceding a go-ahead goal from RSL before VAR intervened.
But still, it was yet another example of just how much better Nashville have become with the ball, and it was a crucial three points after losing two in a row.
Up next
Nashville are on the road next weekend, heading to Lumen Field to take on the Seattle Sounders. That match kicks off at 6:30 pm CT.
Highlights
Stats
Possession: NSH 47% - 53% RSL
Passes completed: NSH 367 - 430 RSL
Shots: NSH 22 - 13 RSL
Shots on goal: NSH 7 - 5 RSL
Penalty kicks: NSH 1 - 0 RSL
Goals: NSH 2 - 1 RSL
Expected goals: NSH 3.61 - 1.09 RSL
Fouls: NSH 16 - 8 RSL
Yellow cards: NSH 4 - 3 RSL
Red cards: NSH 0 - 0 RSL
