Sam Surridge scored twice in Nashville SC’s 3-1 win against Minnesota United on Saturday.
Cristian Espinoza contributed one goal and one assist, while Patrick Yazbek provided two assists for Nashville SC.
Surridge now has four goals this season, with two scored in Nashville’s opening match, a 4-1 win over the New England Revolution. He missed the previous match against FC Dallas due to illness.
Nectarios Triantis netted a stunning goal for Minnesota United’s (1-1-1, 4 points) only score in the 35th minute.
Nashville (2-0-1, 7 points) controlled the first half, holding 66% possession and outshooting Minnesota 12-4 (3-2 for shots on target). The pressure resulted in a goal in the 26th minute, when Hany Mukhtar’s back-heel pass set up Yazbek, whose shot was redirected by Surridge.
In the 33rd minute, Mukhtar’s shot was saved, but the rebound was converted by a wide-open Espinoza, marking his first goal since joining Nashville as a designated player in the offseason.
Just two minutes into the second half, Surridge extended Nashville’s lead again, finishing a close-range shot after another setup by Yazbek.
The second half was quieter overall, as Nashville focused on maintaining its lead. Although Minnesota outshot Nashville 10-4 in this half, they failed to score, including a near miss from a Kelvin Yeboah header in the 83rd minute.