Patrick Yazbek Goal and Assist, Brian Schwake Penalty Save Lift Nashville SC Past Charlotte FC 2-1

Patrick Yazbek has been quietly building a case all season, and on Saturday night in Charlotte he delivered the closing argument. The Australian midfielder set up Edvard Tagseth's long-range opener, scored the second himself, and Nashville SC held off a late Charlotte FC charge for a 2-1 win in front of 26,012 at Bank of America Stadium.

The result kept Nashville in first place in the Eastern Conference, according to the club, and gave the Boys in Gold a 5-1-1 start that the club said was a first in its MLS history. Brian Schwake made it stick with a penalty save midway through the second half, and Archie Goodwin's 90th-minute penalty for Charlotte only made the final minutes nervier.

Tagseth Picks His Spot

Nashville looked sharp from the opening whistle. Yazbek forced Kristijan Kahlina into a save from a tight angle in the third minute, and Warren Madrigal tested him from long range in the 13th.

A minute later, Nashville got its reward. Yazbek teed up Tagseth, who hit a left-footed shot from outside the box that found the top left corner. The club called it the first MLS goal of Tagseth's career and his first for Nashville, and MLS described it as a long-range stunner. Fair on both counts.

Charlotte struggled to answer. Kerwin Vargas had an early shot blocked, but the hosts did not put a shot on target in the first half, and Nashville went in up 1-0. Nashville head coach B.J. Callaghan had even left three Designated Players on the bench to start, with MLS noting that Hany Mukhtar, Sam Surridge and Cristian Espinoza were rested ahead of Tuesday's Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinal second leg at Club América.

Charlotte Changes, Nashville Strikes

Charlotte made two changes at halftime, sending on Brandt Bronico and Luca de la Torre, and Nashville was forced into an early switch of its own when Alex Muyl was replaced by Mukhtar because of an injury in the 51st minute.

That substitution changed the game. In the 62nd minute, Mukhtar found Yazbek outside the box and the midfielder drove a right-footed shot into the bottom left corner. Nashville credited Daniel Lovitz with a secondary assist on that one and Josh Bauer with one on the opener; ESPN's data lists Yazbek and Mukhtar.

The Turning Point: Schwake Guesses Right

Two minutes after the second goal, Charlotte had a lifeline. Lovitz fouled Idan Toklomati in the box, picked up a yellow card, and the hosts were handed a penalty. Toklomati aimed for the bottom left corner, and Schwake got there. Toklomati also sent a left-footed effort from the center of the box high and wide in the same minute.

The Nashville club said it was Schwake's first career penalty save in MLS. It was also the moment Charlotte's comeback hopes ran into a wall. Instead of 2-1 with 25 minutes to play and a crowd fully engaged, it stayed 2-0, and Nashville could manage the rest of the night.

Charlotte did keep pushing. Pep Biel forced Schwake into a save in the 77th minute, and late substitute Goodwin drew a second penalty when Schwake was whistled for a foul on him in the 88th. Goodwin converted it into the bottom left corner in the 90th minute, and the fourth official put up nine minutes of stoppage time. Rodolfo Aloko had a header blocked and Morrison Agyemang dragged a shot wide, but Nashville saw it out, with Mukhtar going close at the other end.

Star Watch

Yazbek was the best player on the field: a goal, an assist and two shots on target. MLS noted the 24-year-old has been capped nine times by Australia as he tries to make the Socceroos' World Cup roster, and his midfield partner made the case loudly.

"I think it just proves how hard work makes you better," Tagseth said of Yazbek. "He's every day one of the hardest workers." Then came the line of the night: "He's probably the biggest potato I've seen," Tagseth told MLS, explaining that in Norway a potato is the thing you can use for everything. It is, for the record, a compliment.

Tagseth, the club's Man of the Match, scored on his only shot. Schwake finished with two saves, one of them the penalty stop, and Mukhtar delivered an assist and a shot on target off the bench, along with a stoppage-time yellow card.

For Charlotte, Kahlina made four saves to keep the margin respectable. Toklomati had three shots and drew a penalty, but the miss from the spot will linger.

Stats That Matter

• Shots on target: Nashville 6, Charlotte 3.
• Penalties: Charlotte took two, with one saved by Schwake and one scored by Goodwin.
• Possession: Nashville 54.8 percent, Charlotte 45.2 percent.
• Passing: Nashville completed 522 of 586 passes; Charlotte completed 424 of 473.
• Discipline: Nashville committed 15 fouls and took three yellow cards; Charlotte had 9 fouls and none.

What It Means

Nashville is 5-1-1 with 16 points and, according to the club, first in the East. The win came a week after the Boys in Gold suffered their first loss of the season at Chicago, which makes the response more impressive. The club also noted Nashville won at Charlotte for the first time since 2023 and has scored 15 goals in its first seven MLS matches, a first in club history. Next comes the Champions Cup trip to face Club América, with the series level at 0-0, followed by a visit to Atlanta United on April 18.

Charlotte drops to 3-2-2 with 11 points. The loss ended a four-match unbeaten run that included a 6-1 thrashing of the Red Bulls and a 2-1 win over Philadelphia. Charlotte visits New York City FC on April 18.

Closing Take

Every great team needs a Swiss Army knife, or, apparently, a potato. Nashville has one in Yazbek, a midfielder who can score, assist, defend and attack, according to his teammate, and who did most of those things on Saturday. With a goalkeeper stopping penalties and three Designated Players starting on the bench, the East leaders look like they are just getting warmed up.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Postgame quotes and club notes as reported by Nashville SC (nashvillesc.com) and MLS (mlssoccer.com).