Sam Surridge’s first-half goal was all Nashville SC needed to take a 1-0 win against the visiting Chicago Fire on Wednesday.
Nashville (8-13-8, 32 points), which has won two in a row after an eight-match losing streak, pulled within a point of the playoff line in Major League Soccer’s Eastern Conference.
The Fire (7-15-8, 29 points) lost for the third time in the past four matches.
Chicago controlled the play early and got extended time on the ball with minimal pressure from Nashville. However, the hosts started to find their footing by the seventh minute, getting to the attacking third, though unable to get any shot attempts off.
In the 11th minute, Nashville’s Shaq Moore had a chance to open the scoring with a shot from the right side, but his attempt toward the far post missed wide.
Nashville SC didn’t have any shot attempts through 18 minutes, but Surridge made their first one count in the 19th minute. After Hany Mukhtar, near the right corner, delivered a cross into the area, Surridge jumped for the header at the top of the 6-yard box. Goalkeeper Chris Brady leaped up to get a piece of it, but the ball went just over his left hand, hitting the post and bouncing into the net.
The Fire had limited opportunities, and in the 29th minute they had their first in a while, with Georgios Koutsias’ shot from near the penalty spot off a feed from Maren Haile-Selassie sailing over the cage. Despite its limited chances, Chicago built up a 5-1 advantage in shot attempts through 38 minutes.
The visitors ended the night with a 10-5 edge in shot attempts but never found the net.
In the 54th minute, a Nashville cross into the box intended for Mukhtar at the top of the goal area was snuffed by a block from Fire defender Arnaud Souquet.
Chicago had its best chance for the equalizer in the third minute of second-half stoppage time on a Chris Mueller’s attempt from the box, but Mueller sent the ball over the net.
–Field Level Media