Maxwell Woledzi's First MLS Goal Sends Nashville SC Past NYCFC 2-1 and Into World Cup Break Atop MLS

Nashville SC's center backs did the scoring, and the rest of MLS will spend the World Cup break looking up at them. Jeisson Palacios and Maxwell Woledzi both headed in crosses from corners, and Nashville beat New York City FC 2-1 at GEODIS Park on Saturday night to lock down top spot in the league through the pause.

Woledzi's 49th-minute winner was his first career MLS goal, according to the club, and it came after Nicolás Fernández had leveled things from the penalty spot in the first half. The result stretched Nashville's unbeaten run in league play to eight matches and left them on 33 points from 14 games, a pace the league said is tied for the third-best through 14 matches in MLS history.

Set Pieces and a Spot Kick

Nashville kept knocking on the door early, winning corners in the fifth and ninth minutes, while New York City's best early look was an Agustin Ojeda shot that Brian Schwake saved in the 12th. On the third Nashville corner, in the 16th minute, Cristian Espinoza's delivery found Palacios on the right side of the six-yard box, and the defender headed it into the middle of the goal. The club said it was Palacios' first goal of the season and Espinoza's team-leading eighth assist.

The lead lasted seven minutes. In the 20th, Reed Baker-Whiting was penalized for a foul on Malachi Jones in the box, and after a short delay for treatment on Jones, Fernández drilled a left-footed penalty into the top right corner in the 23rd minute. Kai Trewin was booked for a foul two minutes later.

The rest of the half was cagey. Fernández sent a shot just wide from the middle of the box in the 34th minute, Nashville were flagged offside twice in quick succession, and Matt Freese saved Ahmed Qasem's shot from outside the box as the half ran out. 1-1 at the break.

The Turning Point

The second half opened with a Nashville barrage, and it paid off almost immediately. Hany Mukhtar forced Freese into a save from a tight angle in the 48th minute, Warren Madrigal had a shot blocked from close range, and on the resulting corner in the 49th, Daniel Lovitz fired wide from the six-yard box before Bryan Acosta's cross found Woledzi on the left side of the six-yard box. His header went in high, right down the middle.

According to the club, Acosta's ball was his first MLS assist for Nashville. It was also Woledzi's first goal for the club in a debut season in which he leads Nashville's outfield players in MLS minutes.

From there, New York City struggled to create. They did not register a shot in the second half until the 87th minute, and their best moments came late: Fernández tested Schwake from long range in the 87th minute and again from the middle of the box in the first minute of stoppage time, both saved.

Stars of the Night

Woledzi is the headline, and deservedly so; he earned man of the match honors, per the club. But Mukhtar was Nashville's most persistent threat with four shots, three on target, and a direct free kick that sailed just over in the 55th minute. Freese stopped all three of his on-target efforts, which is the only reason this stayed a one-goal game.

For New York City, Fernández was their entire attacking plan in the box score: five shots, three on target and the penalty. Freese made four saves. And the injury list did them no favors. Jones was replaced in the 66th minute because of an injury, according to ESPN's feed, and his replacement, Hannes Wolf, went off injured in stoppage time after New York City had already used all their substitutes.

Stats That Matter

• Shots: Nashville 12, New York City 7.
• Shots on target: Nashville 6, New York City 4.
• Possession: New York City 52.2 percent, which did not translate into much.
• Corners: Nashville 6, New York City 3, and two of Nashville's turned into goals.
• Saves: Freese 4, Schwake 3.

What It Means

Nashville move to 10-3-1 with 33 points, and the club said they are guaranteed to stay atop the MLS standings through the World Cup pause. The league added that every previous team to reach 33 points through 14 matches went on to win that season's Supporters' Shield, which is the kind of stat that gets a fan base giddy.

They also stayed unbeaten at home, by the club's count, improving to 6W-0L-1D at GEODIS Park in league play this season. The club's notes also have Nashville unbeaten all-time at home against New York City FC (4W-0L-1D) and outscoring MLS opponents 31-11 this season. Meanwhile, the club noted Sam Surridge returned as a 71st-minute substitute for his first appearance since hurting his back on April 25. Getting the team's leading scorer back for the second half of the season is a luxury.

"I'm really proud of the group and the mentality that they're putting in, the contributions that we're getting from multiple players, and the amount of experience in big games that guys are getting," head coach B.J. Callaghan said, per MLS. "I think that's going to pay real big dividends for us as we go into the second part of the season."

New York City drop to 5-4-6 with 19 points. Two wins and a draw before this one had them trending up, but the set-piece defending will be the topic in the film room.

Nashville return on July 17 at home against Atlanta United.

Closing Take

Nashville are playing like the final boss of a video game: no flashy cutscenes, just an annoying ability to punish every mistake. Give them corners, lose the match. On Saturday, the big men handled the scoring, and the table will say the same thing for the next two months.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Quotes as reported by mlssoccer.com; additional details from nashvillesc.com.