Match Report
On paper the standings were lopsided — Nashville SC 1st with 57 points, Chicago Fire 5th with 39, 18 apart. Recent form told a different story for Chicago Fire: only 25th in the league over the last five rounds despite sitting 5th. Against a league average of 1.6 goals per team per game, Nashville SC ran at 2.04 scored and 0.81 conceded, Chicago Fire at 1.8 and 1.52.
A win had eluded Chicago Fire for 5 matches, having scored in 15 consecutive games.
The head-to-head ledger counts 7 games: 4 Nashville SC wins, 2 for Chicago Fire, 1 draw, at 3 goals per meeting. The recent trend is more open — 4 goals per game over the last five meetings versus 3 all-time.
The match was played at GEODIS Park (capacity 30,000). On the scoreboard, Nashville SC led 1-0 at the break; 2 second-half goals set the final 3-0.
Goal scorers
Nashville SC: Sam Surridge (33'), Cristian Espinoza (78'), Hany Mukhtar (87')
Key stats
Possession: Nashville SC 56% · Chicago Fire 44% · Total shots: 13-9 · On target: 5-1 · Corners: 5-2