NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Nashville SC officially punched its ticket to the postseason Saturday night, becoming the first MLS club to secure a spot in the 2026 MLS Cup Playoffs with a 3 to 0 victory over Chicago Fire FC at GEODIS Park.
The win continued a historic regular season for Nashville, which improved to 17 wins, three losses and six draws while maintaining its place atop both the Eastern Conference and MLS standings.
Sam Surridge opened the scoring in the 33rd minute. Reed Baker Whiting and Matthew Corcoran helped create the opportunity, with Surridge finishing for his team leading 16th league goal of the season. Chicago has become a particularly favorable opponent for the Nashville striker, who now has eight goals in six career appearances against the Fire.
Nashville carried its one goal advantage deep into the second half before Cristian Espinoza gave the home side some breathing room in the 78th minute. Andy Najar and Patrick Yazbek combined to set up Espinoza, who found the net for his fourth MLS goal of the year.
Espinoza was not finished.
In the 87th minute, he helped create Nashville’s third goal of the night as Hany Mukhtar put the finishing touch on the 3 to 0 victory. Eddi Tagseth also picked up an assist on the goal.
Mukhtar now has 11 league goals this season and has consistently delivered against Chicago throughout his Nashville career, scoring 10 times in nine meetings with the Fire.
The victory also marked the first time this season that all three of Nashville’s Designated Players scored in the same match. Surridge, Mukhtar and Espinoza have combined for 37 goals and 22 assists across MLS, Concacaf Champions Cup and Leagues Cup competition in 2026.
Espinoza added another milestone with his assist on Mukhtar’s goal. His 12 MLS assists lead Nashville this season and made him just the second player in league history to record at least 12 assists in five consecutive regular seasons. He was named Man of the Match for his performance.
While Nashville officially secured its playoff spot Saturday, the night added several more records to what has already been the best regular season in club history.
The Boys in Gold established new club marks with their 17th regular season victory and 57th point of the year. Nashville also set new single season home records with its 12th victory and 39th goal at GEODIS Park.
Perhaps most impressive has been Nashville’s dominance at home.
The club remains the only MLS team without a home loss in league competition this season, posting 12 wins and one draw through 13 matches at GEODIS Park. Nashville has also earned a result in 18 of its last 20 MLS matches and has avoided defeat in 30 of 37 matches across all competitions this year.
Goalkeeper Brian Schwake recorded another clean sheet Saturday, making one save on his way to his 12th MLS shutout of the season. Nashville has now recorded 17 clean sheets across all competitions.
Several other Nashville players contributed to the victory. Baker Whiting collected his fourth league assist of the season, while Corcoran recorded a career best third assist. Najar’s assist was his eighth of the year and gave him 50 regular season goal contributions for his MLS career. Yazbek matched his career high with his fourth assist, while Tagseth picked up his second.
Nashville will remain home for its next match, hosting Toronto FC at GEODIS Park on Saturday, Sept. 26 at 7:30 p.m. CT. The club will then have an extended break during the FIFA international window before returning to action against Austin FC on Oct. 10.
