How Patrick Yazbek, Cristian Espinoza are finding their stride for Nashville SC
B.J. Callaghan wanted none of it.
When Nashville SC tied FC Dallas 0-0 on Feb. 28, few players were more upset with themselves than Cristian Espinoza , who missed a pair of shots late in the second half. Speaking to reporters prior to Nashville's game against Minnesota United on March 7, the winger put the disappointing result on his shoulders.
"It's a credit to his leadership, his humility, to say that, but I don't agree," Callaghan said after Nashville beat Minnesota 3-1 at Geodis Park. "We're going to win, we're going to lose, we're going to draw as a team, always. We have the utmost confidence, and I said it after that game and I continue to say, if we continue to get our guys in good goal-scoring chances, we'll continue to score goals."
Espinoza proved his coach right against Minnesota. Nashville's most prized offseason acquisition scored his first goal for his new club in the 33rd minute, jumping on a rebound and firing it into a wide-open net, and had a secondary assist on Sam Surridge 's goal just after halftime.
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Midfielder Patrick Yazbek remembers telling Espinoza to "just shoot, bro" at halftime of the Dallas game. Since then, Espinoza has taken five shots in his past three halves compared to zero in the three prior.
Espinoza is still adapting to Nashville (2-0-1, seven points) after seven seasons with the San Jose Earthquakes . Performances like the one he had against Minnesota (1-1-1, four points) hint at what it might look like when his adaptation is complete.
"He wants to help the team any way possible," Yazbek said. "Having Hany ( Mukhtar ) and Sam there, I think he's really selfless at the moment, which is great. But this week in training, he's been a lot more direct, scoring a lot more goals and you saw it today, he had a few opportunities where he kind of let it rip. I'm very happy for him to get his goal, kind of get him going."
Patrick Yazbek's big night
Yazbek had one of his best games in a Nashville uniform and earned Man of the Match honors. He was credited with an assist on Nashville's first goal as Surridge deflected his shot into the net. On Surridge's second goal, Yazbek took a pass from Espinoza down the right-hand side and cut into the penalty box before slipping a pass to the striker.
The Australian midfielder didn't find himself on the scoresheet much in 2025 but believes he has been able to join the attack this season. His passing was key as Nashville enjoyed 57% possession and ended up with 16 shots.
"Having two very aggressive center backs with Jeisson (Palacios) and ( Maxwell Woledzi ) has kind of allowed Eddi (Tagseth) and I to get up the pitch a little bit more," he said. "At the same time, you got quality players around me who are learning the ways of my movements, and I'm learning their movements. At the end of the day, I just think it's about getting in the box as much as possible, because last year, we were kind of restricted with that a little bit."
Yazbek has five caps for the Australia national team and hopes to get called up to the Socceroos at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States. He has been one of Nashville's best players to start the season, which can only help his case. However, he's trying not to think that far into the future.
"I'm just trying to prove myself to my coach here, BJ, and hopefully that facilitates my national team ambitions," Yazbek said. "There's still a camp coming up, so I'm trying to push for that."
Jacob Shames can be reached by email at jshames@gannett.com and on X/Twitter @Jacob_Shames .
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville SC's Patrick Yazbek, Cristian Espinoza finding their stride
