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Summary: Nashville SC beat Montreal CF

Posted on by Neons

Nashville, TN – After struggling to start the 2024 season, Nashville SC needed a big win or even a win. They beat CF Montreal 4-1 on Saturday night in the most complete game of the year.

XI

Gary Smith was finally able to select a largely healthy lineup, with three of his designated players, Hani Mukhtar, Sam Surridge and Walker Zimmerman, starting together for the first time this season.

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Tyler Boyd was also available off the bench, giving Nashville some much-needed firepower off the bench.

In the square

Nashville made an impact from the game's opening whistle. Surridge got his third goal of the campaign after just 12 minutes when Drew Yearwood split the defense and slotted home. Nine minutes later, Walker Zimmerman scored Nashville's first goal since beating Club America in the League Cup last August, spinning in the air to head the back of the net into the corner (“that's what buns are for,” he joked. match).

Nashville didn't let their foot off the gas. In fact, Hani Mukhtar hit the woodwork seconds after Montreal's restart as the Coyotes opted to protect the lead by turning it on.

This continued in the second half. A minute after the break, all three DPs were involved in the third goal; Zimmerman won the ball and rose to the top, and Mukhtar took a perfect diagonal from Yearwood before slowing the game down to find Surridge's late run into the box for the best goal of the night.

Zimmerman added a second on his return, unfortunately at the other end. Raheem Edwards raced through the box, and the Nashville captain's attempted clearance was followed by Joe Willis. It didn't matter in the end, Surridge completed his hat trick in the 82nd minute, firing home after the Coyotes had hit the woodwork twice.

Big picture

Nashville talked about pressure and confidence all week. The Coyotes have been well below their normal standards this season, and their inability to hold onto a lead has been particularly troubling.

Their performance did not look like a team without confidence. The way they continued to attack Montreal, even to the tune of two or three goals, was a stark contrast to the previous nine matches. Zimmerman's return has clearly lifted the whole team, and Mukhtar and Surridge have looked more on the same page since the League Cup.

That's just one win, a small sample size versus a much larger sample size of poor outcomes. But it showed the team's potential when healthy, and some pieces can still perform at a high level. Now the problem is to maintain this form. They next visit the Charlotte Football Club.

Post match quotes

Statistics

Possession: NSH 38% – 62% MTL
Transfer completed: NSH 322 – 569 MTL
Personnel: NSH 19 – 17 MTL
Shots on goal: NSH 7 – 4 MTL
Free kicks: NSH 0 – 0 MTL
Expected goals: NSH 2.49 – 1.44 MTL
Objectives: NSH 4 – 1 MTL
Violations: NSH 14 – 13 MTL
Yellow cards: NSH 2 – 3 MTL
Red cards: NSH 0 – 0 MTL

Author: Ben Wrightdirector of soccer content and senior MLS contributor to Broadway Sports, which includes Nashville SC and the US National Team. Previously, Ben was the editor and founder of Speedway Soccer, where he covered Nashville SC and their time in the USL before moving to Major League Soccer since 2018. Raised in Louisville, K.Y. Ben grew up playing before a knee injury ended his competitive career. When he's not talking football, he's probably making music, drinking coffee, or hanging out with his wife and kids. Mastodon

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