Nashville SC had to take on the Columbus Crew on Sunday night to extend their unbeaten streak in MLS competition.
After Columbus scored in the first 83 seconds, Nashville came from behind with three second-half goals to beat the Crew 3-1 and extend their unbeaten streak to seven games (5-0-2) in front of a sellout crowd at Geodis Park. . .
Nashville’s last loss came on April 15 in New York City (2-1).
It was the second win in a row since behind Nashville in MLS competition. Charlotte took a 1-0 lead over Nashville on May 20 before the Boys in Gold rallied for a 2-1 victory.
“As we worked through this game, the opportunities started to present themselves a little more,” Nashville coach Gary Smith said. “The end of the first half looked a bit patchy. However, there was a lot of willingness and enthusiasm to be creative in that final third. In the end, it came through. It seemed like we grew another foot or two as the game went on.” and they shrank a foot or two and life seemed a little harder for them.”
Fafa Picault kicked a rear-footed corner from Hany Mukhtar, who was credited with the assist, in the 56th minute to put Nashville on the scoreboard and, 25 minutes later, Teal Bunbury scored a header off a corner kick. to put Nashville up 2. -1.
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After Nashville goalie Joe Willis made two spectacular saves in a span of four minutes, Mukhtar added a goal in the 96th minute.
Mukhtar now has 52 MLS regular season goals and 34 assists in 94 games. He has nine goals and six assists this season.
While it took Nashville’s offense more than half to find a groove and rhythm, the Boys in Gold have outscored their opponents (14-6) on the streak. They have not allowed more than one goal in a single game during the streak.
The two set-piece goals were particularly enjoyable for Smith.
“More than anything, you have to have guys willing to put their bodies on the line (in those situations),” Smith said. “Because make no mistake, there are times when they’re going to have a physical confrontation, a blow to the head, because they’re putting themselves in danger to try and score a goal. If you look at the way Fafu scored, he’s right in the mix. He’s not the biggest guy in the world, but when he sees an opportunity to get the ball into the back of the net, he’s willing to do whatever it takes.”
Nashville is unbeaten in its last six games (4-0-2) at Geodis Park and has scored multiple goals in four straight games there.
Columbus took a 1-0 lead on a goal by Yaw Yeboah, who won a midfield duel and then scored from 20 yards out. It was the second goal of his career.
Nashville (8-3-4) had several scoring opportunities during the first half but couldn’t connect. Nashville finished with nine shots in the first half and 17 for the game. Colon (5-6-3) had 12 overall.
Nashville remained in second place in the Eastern Conference while Columbus lost for the seventh time on the road. It was Nashville’s fourth straight victory over Columbus since 2020.
Nashville’s Walker Zimmerman returned from a lower-body injury after being sidelined since April. He came off the bench in the 85th minute and set up a shot for Mukhtar that just missed the right side of the goal.
Nashville doesn’t play at home again until June 17 against St. Louis. The club goes on the road on Saturday to play Dallas and on June 10 to play Toronto.
Contact Mike Organ at 615-259-8021 or on Twitter @MikeOrganWriter.
