Nashville SC clinched the 2026 MLS Supporters’ Shield title after a 2-0 victory at CF Montréal on Saturday, winning the trophy for the first time in club history.
The clinching goals came from the club’s top scorer, Sam Surridge, and captain Hany Mukhtar.
Surridge struck the opening goal in the 51st minute, finishing at the second attempt after his initial header had been saved. Mukhtar then made sure of the decisive points in the 76th minute, capitalizing on a defensive giveaway and sliding in to finish low into the net.
Major League Soccer awards the Supporters’ Shield to the club that accumulates the most points across the 34-game regular season. With 70 points in 31 games, Nashville has an unassailable lead in the overall standings with three regular-season games remaining.
The Vancouver Whitecaps and Inter Miami are Nashville’s nearest challengers, 15 points back with four games to play.
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“The locker room celebration is quite joyous at the moment,” head coach BJ Callaghan said in his postgame news conference.
“It’s a huge step forward for the club and for the city and the connection that we have with the supporters. That’s the name of the trophy. It’s a testament to the work that’s been done, leading with the owner’s vision, and kind of the day-to-day process that we continue to abide by.”
Nashville could yet surpass Miami‘s MLS points record of 74, achieved in its 2024 Supporters’ Shield-winning season.
As well as points, Nashville leads MLS in wins (21), fewest goals conceded (23) and goal differential (plus-43).
The team has scored 66 goals so far this season, the second-highest count in the Eastern Conference after Inter Miami. Surridge and Mukhtar played an integral role in the team’s attack, with Surridge scoring 18 goals and Mukhtar adding 17.
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Offseason arrival Cristian Espinoza also contributed heavily in the final third, providing 14 assists.
Nashville entered MLS as an expansion team in 2020, alongside Inter Miami, working diligently to become a competitor in the league. The team won its first trophy in 2025 when lifting the US Open Cup, before adding a second with this year’s Supporters’ Shield.
Callaghan, a former U.S. men’s national team assistant and interim head coach, now becomes the first coach since Oscar Pareja in 2016 to win the US Open Cup and Supporters’ Shield within a two-year span.
By winning the Supporters’ Shield, Nashville secured home-field advantage throughout the MLS Cup playoffs and a spot in the 2027 edition of the Concacaf Champions Cup.
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Nashville is the only MLS team unbeaten at home in 2026 and tied the league record for home wins (14) and home winning streak (10).
“Anytime we get an opportunity to play in front of our home fans, we are motivated,” Callaghan said. “That is the connection that we have to the city, our club, and to the supporters. And we love playing at home. We know that people will come and support us, and sell GEODIS Park out. So it just makes it even more special.”
He added: “We know that we’ve got more work to do.”
Saturday’s result also eliminated Montreal from playoffs contention.
