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Nashville SC is midway through what has been a charmed 2026 season.
Nashville (10-1-3, 33 points) is off to its best-ever start in MLS, leading the Supporters' Shield standings three months in. It's on pace for 80 points, which would shatter the single-season record set in 2024 by Inter Miami, and its goal difference of 31-11 is second only to the Vancouver Whitecaps, who have 32 points in the same number of matches.
In addition, Nashville has had plenty of highlights outside of league play. It reached the semifinals of the CONCACAF Champions Cup, defeating longtime nemesis Lionel Messi as well as Mexican power Club América in doing so.
With Nashville not scheduled to play again for six weeks due to the FIFA World Cup break, here's a breakdown of how the club has gotten to this point, including the top players and biggest moments from the first half.
Sam Surridge was leading the Golden Boot race before an injury-plagued April. Offseason acquisition Cristian Espinoza has been exactly as billed. But Mukhtar, who recently scored the 100th goal of his Nashville career, has been the club's most consistent presence.
Mukhtar has appeared in all 14 of Nashville's MLS games, starting 11, and has six goals and five assists. It was his goal at Estadio Azteca on April 14 that sent Nashville through the CCC quarterfinals. He rarely leaves the field — he has played at least 85 minutes in every game he's started — and young players like Maxwell Woledzi, Shak Mohammed and Ahmed Qasem have praised the captain's leadership and mentorship.
As for Surridge, he still leads the team with nine goals despite starting just four MLS games. Espinoza has eight assists, tied for third in the league, and will blow by NSC's single-season record if he keeps that pace.
It's hard to argue that there has been a better central defense pairing in MLS than Palacios and Woledzi. The two are almost mirror images of each other — rangy, explosive and technical — and they've keyed a unit that has given up the fewest goals per game in the league, with 11 shutouts across all competitions.
Both defenders have turned in All-Star caliber seasons, but if one player has the slight edge, it's Palacios, who also has been elite with the ball at his feet. He leads the team with 72.3 accurate passes per 90 minutes, per FotMob, which rates him as the second-best center back in MLS in 2026 (Woledzi ranks fourth).
MORE: See how much Nashville SC players, including Sam Surridge, will make in 2026
That goalkeeper Brian Schwake has replaced veteran Joe Willis without a hitch isn't a surprise — he backstopped all five games of Nashville's run to the U.S. Open Cup in 2025. What's maybe more unexpected is that Schwake has been among the very best goalkeepers in the league.
Schwake didn't lose until his 15th career game, which set a record for the longest unbeaten start for an MLS goalie. It helps having Palacios and Woledzi in front, but Schwake has made almost no mistakes with his shot-stopping or distribution. His save percentage of 76.1% is third in the league. At 24 years old, it's easy to envision United States national team call-ups in his future.
Before Nashville beat América 1-0 in the second leg of its Champions Cup quarterfinal series, no MLS team had ever conquered the atmosphere and altitude of Estadio Azteca, North America's most famed soccer venue. Just six had won a competitive match anywhere in Mexico. That Nashville pulled it off without Surridge, who was nursing a hamstring injury, only made it more impressive.
Nashville's second-leg draw at Miami in the round of 16, which allowed it to reach Azteca in the first place, comes in a close second. Espinoza's second-half goal snapped a streak of four straight cup competition defeats to Miami dating to 2023.
If Nashville is to turn its dominant start into hardware — the Leagues Cup, Supporters' Shield and MLS Cup await — it will have to contend with a thin midfield that got even thinner in May.
Patrick Yazbek and Eddi Tagseth were critical to Nashville's first two months, covering ground, winning tackles and connecting defense and attack. But Tagseth missed NSC's past six games, and Yazbek the past five, before the break due to injury.
Matthew Corcoran and Bryan Acosta have performed well in the meantime, but Nashville can't play its preferred style without at least one of Yazbek or Tagseth on the field. Midfield should be the club's biggest area of need entering the summer transfer window, which opens on July 13.
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 report card with MLS season entering World Cup break
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Nashville (10-1-3, 33 points) is off to its best-ever start in MLS, leading the Supporters' Shield standings three months in. It's on pace for 80 points, which would shatter the single-season record set in 2024 by Inter Miami, and its goal difference of 31-11 is second only to the Vancouver Whitecaps, who have 32 points in the same number of matches.
In addition, Nashville has had plenty of highlights outside of league play. It reached the semifinals of the CONCACAF Champions Cup, defeating longtime nemesis Lionel Messi as well as Mexican power Club América in doing so.
With Nashville not scheduled to play again for six weeks due to the FIFA World Cup break, here's a breakdown of how the club has gotten to this point, including the top players and biggest moments from the first half.
Offensive MVP: Hany Mukhtar
Sam Surridge was leading the Golden Boot race before an injury-plagued April. Offseason acquisition Cristian Espinoza has been exactly as billed. But Mukhtar, who recently scored the 100th goal of his Nashville career, has been the club's most consistent presence.
Mukhtar has appeared in all 14 of Nashville's MLS games, starting 11, and has six goals and five assists. It was his goal at Estadio Azteca on April 14 that sent Nashville through the CCC quarterfinals. He rarely leaves the field — he has played at least 85 minutes in every game he's started — and young players like Maxwell Woledzi, Shak Mohammed and Ahmed Qasem have praised the captain's leadership and mentorship.
As for Surridge, he still leads the team with nine goals despite starting just four MLS games. Espinoza has eight assists, tied for third in the league, and will blow by NSC's single-season record if he keeps that pace.
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Defensive MVP: Jeisson Palacios
It's hard to argue that there has been a better central defense pairing in MLS than Palacios and Woledzi. The two are almost mirror images of each other — rangy, explosive and technical — and they've keyed a unit that has given up the fewest goals per game in the league, with 11 shutouts across all competitions.
Both defenders have turned in All-Star caliber seasons, but if one player has the slight edge, it's Palacios, who also has been elite with the ball at his feet. He leads the team with 72.3 accurate passes per 90 minutes, per FotMob, which rates him as the second-best center back in MLS in 2026 (Woledzi ranks fourth).
MORE: See how much Nashville SC players, including Sam Surridge, will make in 2026
Biggest surprise: Brian Schwake
That goalkeeper Brian Schwake has replaced veteran Joe Willis without a hitch isn't a surprise — he backstopped all five games of Nashville's run to the U.S. Open Cup in 2025. What's maybe more unexpected is that Schwake has been among the very best goalkeepers in the league.
Schwake didn't lose until his 15th career game, which set a record for the longest unbeaten start for an MLS goalie. It helps having Palacios and Woledzi in front, but Schwake has made almost no mistakes with his shot-stopping or distribution. His save percentage of 76.1% is third in the league. At 24 years old, it's easy to envision United States national team call-ups in his future.
Biggest moment: Winning at Azteca
Before Nashville beat América 1-0 in the second leg of its Champions Cup quarterfinal series, no MLS team had ever conquered the atmosphere and altitude of Estadio Azteca, North America's most famed soccer venue. Just six had won a competitive match anywhere in Mexico. That Nashville pulled it off without Surridge, who was nursing a hamstring injury, only made it more impressive.
Nashville's second-leg draw at Miami in the round of 16, which allowed it to reach Azteca in the first place, comes in a close second. Espinoza's second-half goal snapped a streak of four straight cup competition defeats to Miami dating to 2023.
Biggest question: Midfield depth
If Nashville is to turn its dominant start into hardware — the Leagues Cup, Supporters' Shield and MLS Cup await — it will have to contend with a thin midfield that got even thinner in May.
Patrick Yazbek and Eddi Tagseth were critical to Nashville's first two months, covering ground, winning tackles and connecting defense and attack. But Tagseth missed NSC's past six games, and Yazbek the past five, before the break due to injury.
Matthew Corcoran and Bryan Acosta have performed well in the meantime, but Nashville can't play its preferred style without at least one of Yazbek or Tagseth on the field. Midfield should be the club's biggest area of need entering the summer transfer window, which opens on July 13.
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 report card with MLS season entering World Cup break
Continue reading...
