How Eddi Tagseth's first MLS goal fueled Nashville SC's win over Charlotte FC

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Maybe next time, Eddi Tagseth will have a more extravagant goal celebration.

He certainly hopes he won't have to wait as long for that next time.

Tagseth has become an Nashville SC fan favorite because of his near-endless running and energy, less so for his attacking. The midfielder had a solid goal-scoring record with his previous club, scoring seven goals for Norwegian side Rosenborg in 2024, but didn't find the net in any of his first 48 matches for Nashville.

Tagseth's first MLS goal was well worth the wait; a left-footed blast from 25 yards out in the 14th minute of Nashville's 2-1 win over Charlotte FC on April 11 at Bank of America Stadium. He timed himself up to receive a short pass from Patrick Yazbek before firing, but doesn't remember much after that.

"I remember thinking I was going to shoot, and then I lost my brain," Tagseth said. " . . . I saw my celebration, and it looks like I just turned around and glanced up. It's been a while since my last goal, so I'm a bit rusty in celebrations."


MORE: How Edvard Tagseth's upbringing in small-town Norway began path to being Nashville SC midfield dynamo

Sam Surridge, Hany Mukhtar and Cristian Espinoza had combined for 11 of 13 league goals for Nashville (5-1-1, 16 points) entering Charlotte. But coach B.J. Callaghan started the game without the three designated players to keep them fresh for a massive game — the second leg of the CONCACAF Champions Cup quarterfinals at Club América — looming on April 14.

Nashville knew it would need to rely on ancillary attackers to get a positive result at Charlotte (3-2-2, 11 points). Yazbek also obliged, scoring in the 62nd minute for what proved to be the game-winner.

"I hope I'm not done scoring goals," Tagseth said. "But I'll keep doing the same work as I've always done. I'm not going to change as a player because I scored a banger."

Nashville SC relies on depth to beat Charlotte FC​


Callaghan rotated six players into the lineup against Charlotte, including defender Jack Maher. The center back has played only four games this season but has served as captain for all of them, with Mukhtar, who normally wears the captain's armband, on the bench.

Maher has taken on that role smoothly despite a massive drop in his playing time. He started all but 14 games in MLS play from 2023 to 2025 but has been on the outside of Nashville's main central pairing of Maxwell Woledzi and Jeisson Palacios in 2026. It hardly seems to have mattered when he has taken the field.

"Serving as captain is easy," Callaghan said. "Jack leads every day. His role and responsibility in our group is just getting an armband, but the way he leads the group each and every day, he acts and carries himself as a captain . . . The guys that played tonight, they have a lot of experience. They've played a lot of MLS games, and tonight's a great testament of the work that they do during the week."

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Nashville scores massive road win​


Bank of America Stadium is one of the toughest places to play in MLS. Nashville hadn't won there since 2023, including a 2-1 loss in April 2025 in which it gave up two goals in the last 10 minutes, and Charlotte lost just three games at home in both 2024 and 2025. Last season, it was tied for the best home record in the league (13-3-1).

Nashville not only handed Charlotte its first defeat at home this season but exorcised a few of its struggles in past road games. It had scored just one goal in three MLS games away from Geodis Park so far.

"Charlotte's a team that's really well coached," Callaghan said. "They're a hard team to break down. They're very organized. Every guy has a good role. (Nashville's) ability to go after the game, you saw the energy, the competitiveness of that group."

Jacob Shames can be reached by email at [email protected] and on X/Twitter @Jacob_Shames.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville SC beats Charlotte FC as unexpected contributors shine


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