Cristian Espinoza and Abdul Shakur Mohammed scored in the second half, leading Nashville SC to a 2-0 victory over Atlanta United on Saturday night, with both goals assisted by Hany Mukhtar.
Even without their top scorer, Sam Surridge, who is sidelined with a hamstring injury, Nashville (6-1-1, 19 points) secured their third consecutive win and remains at the top of the Eastern Conference. They also improved their away record to 3-1-1 in MLS.
Atlanta (1-6-1, 4 points) extended their winless streak in MLS to four matches (0-3-1).
Nashville took the lead in the 61st minute after Emmanuel Latte Lath from Atlanta lost the ball in attack. Mukhtar quickly transitioned, passing to Espinoza, who scored with a shot past goalkeeper Lucas Hoyos, marking Espinoza’s third goal this season.
In stoppage time, Mohammed scored Nashville’s second goal, his first in MLS, making it 2-0.
The first half was evenly contested, but Nashville had a couple of chances to score before the break.
In the 39th minute, Hoyos saved a header from Daniel Lovitz. Two minutes later, Mukhtar had a one-on-one chance but was denied by Hoyos.
Nashville dominated the second half, finishing with their fourth clean sheet of the season. Brian Schwake made three saves, while Hoyos had six saves for Atlanta.
With this loss, Atlanta’s home record is now 1-3-1. They also played without Miguel Almiron, who is recovering from a knee injury sustained during Wednesday’s U.S. Open Cup match against Chattanooga FC.