Nashville SC defeats D.C. United to continue home prowess

Updated: May 17, 2023, 05:05 am

C.J. Sapong and Alex Muyl each scored twice, and Hany Mukhtar added a goal with an assist, as Nashville SC rallied from an early deficit to extend their home unbeaten streak to 13 matches, while cooling off D.C. United in a 5-2 victory Sunday night.

Down 1-0 inside of the first three minutes, Nashville (7-2-10, 31 points) scored the next three goals in a span of 23 minutes in the opening half. Two of the three came from Sapong in the 14th and 31st minutes, while Mukhtar added one in the 37th minute.

Leading 3-2, Muyl put the game away for Nashville with an 80th-minute goal and successful penalty strike in the 87th minute. Nashville SC improved to 8-0-5 at home since a 1-0 defeat to FC Dallas in November 2020.

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Sapong has five goals over the team's last three home games while Mukhtar has five goals with four assists in the team's last four home games.

Frederic Brillant and Ola Kamara scored first-half goals for D.C. United (8-8-3, 27 points), who entered amid a 3-0-2 stretch. Kamara has scored seven of his 11 goals on the season during a six-game goal streak.

D.C. didn't waste any time putting the pressure on the home side amid rain drops. Off a corner, Brillant took the curling entry from Julian Gressel and headed a liner by Nashville keeper Joe Willis in the third minute.

However, Nashville would not let up and eventually leveled the contest on Sapong's header from Randall Leal's cross. It was just past the half-hour mark when Sapong put his team ahead 2-1 on another header, off a stellar Mukhtar service, from a well-positioned spot in the box.

Mukhtar got in on the goal-scoring fun when he converted, aided by a subtle deflection from a United defender, off the crossbar and in.

United, though, almost immediately picked itself up when Kamara out-positioned Willis and footed home a long Paul Arriola service to make it a one-goal contest just before the break.

From the start of the second half, D.C. pressured to equalize. Yet, Nashville also continued to press on the counter and was ultimately rewarded through Muyl's late brace.

Veteran Nashville midfielder Dax McCarty became the sixth player to appear in 400 MLS games.