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Nashville SC flex Supporters' Shield credentials with Miami trouncing
By Ben Wright
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Nashville SC made a Supporters' Shield statement on Saturday night.
The Coyotes rumbled to their league-leading ninth home win, taking a stellar 4-1 victory over fellow Eastern Conference frontrunners Inter Miami CF at GEODIS Park.
The result extends their lead in the Supporters' Shield race to five points over the Herons and strengthens their case as arguably the league's best team.
Hany Mukhtar, in his seventh season in Music City, scored a brace, bringing his total to 8g/5a in 2026 and his tally against Miami to six in 12 matches.
"It's not a statement," Mukhtar said. "There are too many games left... We deserve to have this big match, and it is a compliment to our achievements, what we have done in the first 18, 19 games now. But we have to go game by game."
Despite the level-headed tone, it's hard not to be impressed with Nashville's form this season. Through 19 regular-season matches, they've won 13 and lost just twice, while producing a historic semifinal run at the 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup, where they eliminated Miami in the Round of 16.
After losing eight of their 11 meetings since Lionel Messi joined the Herons, Nashville have turned the tables in this rivalry.
"You could feel the belief," said Mukhtar. "We were pressing them; we were putting them under pressure. We didn't give them just the ball. Will they create chances? Absolutely. But we created more chances. We were the better team over 90 minutes."
Stars shine
Nashville needed a big performance from their key players, and they got it.
Three All-Star contributed goals: Andy Nájar opened the scoring, Sam Surridge scored an audacious heel-flick, and Mukhtar bagged a brace.
Even fellow All-Star goalkeeper Brian Schwake got in on the action, making a huge penalty-kick save on Messi.
"[The players] are committed to the bigger vision of what we're trying to accomplish here," said head coach B.J. Callaghan. "They're willing to work for each other, work for the team."
Continued excellence
For seven years, Mukhtar has been Nashville's leading man. Now 31, the 2022 Landon Donovan MLS MVP hasn't slowed down – he's up to nine goals in all competitions this season, and continues to set the club's standard.
"I've said this many times; [Mukhtar] leads from a position of selflessness," Callaghan said. "Willing to do and leads by example.
"He trains hard, plays hard for 90 minutes, willing to do whatever it takes for the team. I think when you have your leader embodying those values, then everybody else rises to that as well."
For Mukhtar, who welcomed his second child with his wife Ashley last week, he's still embracing the pressure of producing in big moments. That willingness to step up under pressure has become part of the club's identity.
"The most important thing is that a club has a DNA, and we have a clear DNA in our team," he said. "We have a clear mentality in our team. Whoever comes in, it doesn't matter who it is, has to adapt to the mentality, to the DNA. That is the foundation of this club."
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WATCH: Nashville SC outshine Inter Miami in Supporters' Shield clash
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