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Nashville SC beats New York Red Bulls 2-1 for first time in MLS team history
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- Nashville SC beats New York Red Bulls 2-1 for first time in MLS team history
B.J. Callaghan called it a "daydream" of a Nashville SC goal. But it was 100 percent real.
The whole sequence happened in just six seconds. Sam Surridge and Daniel Lovitz played a one-two pass down the left wing. Surridge wound up for what looked like a shot, but shuttled the ball over to Alex Muyl on his right. Muyl walled off the New York Red Bulls ' Raheem Edwards , and with his back the facing goal, put the ball on a tee for Hany Mukhtar , who had been waiting just outside the penalty box. Mukhtar drove his shot low, hard and past goalkeeper Carlos Coronel .
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Mukhtar's goal was the clincher in Nashville's history-making 2-1 win over the Red Bulls on May 14 at Geodis Park. It's the first time Nashville (7-4-2, 23 points) has ever beaten New York (5-5-3, 18 points), and it continued the club's best-ever start to an MLS season. Nashville moved up to fourth in the Eastern Conference, its highest since July 2023.
Nashville lost 2-0 to the Red Bulls, last season's MLS Cup runners-up, on March 1. The Boys in Gold are now on a four-match unbeaten streak in MLS play and haven't lost in five games in all competitions.
"All of these little moments that we're accumulating in the season continue to allow us to learn and grow," Callaghan, Nashville's coach, said.
NSC finishes off its homestand on May 17 against D.C. United .
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Patrick Yazbek opens scoring with his first Nashville goal
Nashville had trouble getting through the Red Bulls until the 34th minute, when midfielder Patrick Yazbek jumped on a headed pass from Surridge. Yazbek tore toward the goal with a huge advantage in numbers, including Muyl open on his left. Instead of laying it off, he darted toward the middle and ripped a shot from the top of the 18-yard box. Yazbek's shot hit the back of the net so hard it caromed 30 yards back out.
"I'd be lying if I didn't say the thought crossed my head that he should have passed the guy in," Callaghan said. "But when you have confident players, and we do, he cuts off to his right foot and hits a great shot. We always want players to be able to make those decisions."
The goal was Yazbek's first in 20 matches with Nashville.
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"It just came off nicely," he said. "I've been working on my finishing, and I think at times I probably should be a little more selfish than what I am."
Hany Mukhtar finding form
Mukhtar, Nashville's top attacker, has never been a particularly fast starter . He didn't register a goal contribution during his first three games. Last season was his worst since entering MLS in 2020, with eight goals and nine assists — a far cry from his 23 goals and 11 assists during his MVP 2022 season.
But with his latest goal — which came six minutes after the Red Bulls' Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting equalized in the 56th minute — Mukhtar has clearly put those struggles in the past. He has six goals, which ties Surridge for the team high. Four of those goals have come in his past four games.
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"Hany's a player that breathes, sleeps, eats soccer," Callaghan said. "He's someone who's constantly trying to improve himself, study the game and how he can improve . . . He's starting to figure out where he's finding the ball in the penalty box and doing more repetitions in those angled shots."
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Geodis Park becoming fortress
Last season, Nashville won just five league games at home. It already has surpassed that total in 2025, with a 6-1-1 record at Geodis, and has outscored opponents there 18-6. NSC has won four straight home games since losing to first-place FC Cincinnati on March 29.
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"From day one, we said we want to be a team that represents this city," Callaghan said. " . . . We want (fans) to come to the stadium. They give us great energy. And from there, we want to make this place a really difficult place."
Jacob Shames can be reached by email at jshames@gannett.com and on Twitter @Jacob_Shames.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: MLS: Nashville SC beats New York Red Bulls for first time ever
