MLS: Hany Mukhtar Wills Nashville SC Past LAFC to Supporters Shield Summit
- Ronan Briscoe
- 11 hours ago
- 2 min read
NATIONAL SOCCER NEWS: www.nationalsoccernetwork.com
Sunday marked the first truly hot day of 2026 in Middle Tennessee, and it also marked the date of red-hot Nashville SC's ascent to the top of the Supporters Shield standings with just one game to go before the World Cup break.
The hosting Coyotes welcomed LAFC into GEODIS Park, and the game showcased the differing trajectories of the two CONCACAF Champions Cup semifinalists. Even with four would-be starters out due to injury, Nashville continues to showcase their contending status, while LAFC have just one league win in the last month.
Nashville got off to a flying start, with Hany Mukhtar and Warren Madrigal combining, and Mukhtar finishing off the opener in the 13th minute. Then, just eight minutes later in the 21st, the former MLS MVP notched his 100th Nashville goal in all competitions off a tremendous free kick. LAFC would immediately cut the deficit in half less than a minute later, as Denis Bouanga found David Martinez with a low cross to the far post.
In truth, LAFC created more opportunities than Nashville, outshooting the hosts 22 to 8 throughout the game, but the difference between the two was that one team had Hany Mukhtar, and the other didn't. In the 59th minute, Mukhtar bagged yet another direct free kick goal to seal his fifth career MLS hat trick, second all-time in league history.
Denis Bouanga would find the visitors' second in the 68th off a deflection, but that was all she wrote as far as the scoresheet was concerned. The win pushes Nashville to 30 points on the season, maintaining their two-point gap over Inter Miami at the top of the East, though the Coyotes do hold a game in hand on the Herons, meaning that gap could be as much as five points.
The win also sent Nashville to the top of the Supporters Shield table for the first time this season after both Vancouver and San Jose lost on Saturday. There is just one more game remaining for all MLS sides before the league takes a two-month break to fit in this summer's World Cup, and for Nashville that comes on May 23rd as they host NYCFC.
The Pigeons have regained a bit of league form after a winless April, having picked up seven points in their last three games.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PREMIER MEDIA GROUP / NATIONAL SOCCER NETWORK /
NATIONAL SOCCER NETWORK ON FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61561215500230
— All Rights Reserved, Premier Media Group / National Soccer Network
Comments