Nashville Soccer Club Earns Historic Win Over Chicago Fire FC

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (July 17, 2021) – Nashville Soccer Club wrapped up its longest homestand of the season on a high note with a 5-1 win against Chicago Fire FC, moving into tie for third place in the Eastern Conference. Hany Mukhtar led the charge scoring the fastest hat trick in Major League Soccer history and the first in club’s MLS history.

Hat Trick Hero: Hany Mukhtar recorded the fastest hat trick to start a match in MLS history, notching his third goal in the 16th minute of play. Mukhtar’s hat trick was his first career MLS hat trick and the first in Nashville SC’s MLS history as a club. Mukhtar’s hat trick was the second-fastest in time completed between the first and third goal in MLS history.

When it Rains it Pours: The Boys in Gold put on an attacking show at Nissan Stadium, scoring five goals, the most goals scored in Nashville’s MLS history. The four-goal win is the largest margin of victory in Nashville SC MLS history.

Music City Magic: Nashville SC concluded its longest homestand of the season earning 11 out of a possible 15 points and going unbeaten in that time, boasting a 3W-0L-2D record. The Boys in Gold currently hold an overall record of 10W-2L-10D when playing at Nissan Stadium and own a 11-match home unbeaten streak that dates back to Nov. 2020.

Nashville SC will hit the road to face Columbus Crew on Wednesday, July 21. Fans can tune in to the action on MyTV30 or live stream the game on www.NashvilleSC.com at 6 p.m. CT to watch the pregame show.

Match Timeline

NSH 10’: Hany Mukhtar opened up the scoring by striking a ball played to the middle of the box by CJ Sapong, sending it into the bottom left corner of the goal

NSH 13’: Daniel Lovitz sent a cross into the box finding Mukhtar who dances through the Chicago defense and sent the ball in the bottom right corner of the net

NSH 16’: Mukhtar delivers a world class free kick from just outside the box, striking it into the top left corner

NSH 39’: CJ Sapong caught a rebound at the center of the box, striking it straight up the middle of the goal

CHI 47’: Ignacio Aliseda taps in a ball inches from the goal line, played to him by Przemyslaw Frankowski

NSH 62’: Dylan Nealis sets up Tah Brian Anunga waiting at the top of the box who smashes it past the diving keeper into the bottom left corner

Notes

• Nashville SC recorded the most goals in a match in its MLS club history with five
• Nashville SC is now 4W-0L-0D when scoring the first goal of a match this season
• Nashville SC is undefeated when Hany Mukhtar scores a goal owning a record of 5W-0L-3D
• Nashville SC scored their first goal directly off of a free kick this season
• Nashville SC had seven players finish with 90%+ passing accuracy 
• Tonight’s attendance was 23,113, the largest crowd of the season
• Head Coach Gary Smith now owns a 33W-9L-31D record and a .660 winning in his MLS career in home matches and a 32W-0L-12D record when scoring the first goal of the match as the home team
• Tah Brian Anunga scored his first career MLS goal 
• Daniel Lovitz wore the captain’s band for the first time as a member of Nashville SC following Dax’s McCarty’s substitution and led all players in touches (85)
• Hany Mukhtar is now tied for third in most goals scored in MLS with seven. Mukhtar is the all-time leader in goals scored for Nashville SC in its MLS history (12) and currently leads the team in goals scored this season (seven)
• Mukhtar’s hat trick tonight was the first in Nashville SC’s club history and was the fastest in MLS history scoring all three goals in the first 16 minutes of the match
• Dylan Nealis made his first start for Nashville SC and recorded his first career MLS assist
• Dave Romney remains the only Nashville SC outfield player to play all 1,170 minutes this season
• CJ Sapong has now scored against two of his former clubs, Philadelphia Union and Chicago Fire FC, both in the same season

BOX SCORE

Nashville SC 5W-1L-7Dvs. Chicago Fire FC3W-8L-2D

July 17, 2021 — Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tenn.

Final Score

NSH: 5

CHI: 1                      

Scoring Summary

NSH: Hany Mukhtar (CJ Sapong) 10’

NSH: Hany Mukhtar (Daniel Lovitz) 13’

NSH: Hany Mukhtar 16’

NSH: CJ Sapong 39’

CHI: Ignacio Aliseda (Przemyslaw Frankowski) 47’

NSH: Tah Brian Anunga (Dylan Nealis) 62’

Discipline

CHI: Johan Kappelhof (Ejection) 14’

CHI: Mauricio Pineda (Caution) 27’

CHI: Miguel Navarro (Caution) 49’ 

Lineups

NSH: Joe Willis; Daniel Lovitz, Jalil Anibaba, Dave Romney, Jack Maher, Dylan Nealis; Dax McCarty (C) (Matt LaGrassa 65’), Hany Mukhtar (Alex Muyl 65’), Tah Brian Anunga (Luke Haakenson 74’); Randall Leal (Abu Danladi 74’), CJ Sapong (Jhonder Cádiz 67’)

Unused Substitutes: Daniel Rios, Eric Miller, Taylor Washington, Bryan Meredith

TOTAL SHOTS: 25 (Mukhtar,8); SHOTS ON GOAL: 12 (Mukhtar, 5); FOULS: 14 (Three tied with 2); OFFSIDES: 2; CORNER KICKS: 7; SAVES: 3; POSSESSION: 55.1%

CHI: Bobby Shuttleworth; Boris Sekulic, Johan Kappelhof (C), Miguel Navarro, Wyatt Omsberg, Mauricio Pineda; Ignacio Aliseda (Jhon Espinoza 82’), Alvaro Medran (Luka Stojanovic 66’), Przemyslaw Frankowski, Fabian Herbers (Gaston Gimenez HT); Robert Beric (Chinonso Offor HT)

Unused Substitutes: Jonathan Bornstein, Elliot Collier, Gabriel Slonina, Alex Monis, Brian Gutierrez

TOTAL SHOTS:14; SHOTS ON GOAL: 4; FOULS: 9; OFFSIDES: 0; CORNER KICKS: 4; SAVES: 7; POSSESSION: 44.9%

Referee: Lukasz Szpala

AR1: Ian Anderson

AR2: Cameron Blanchard

4th: Tori Penso

VAR: Kevin Scott

AVAR: Matthew Nelson

Weather: Partly cloudy, 80 degrees. 

Statistics are unofficial.

Attendance: 23,113