Maxwell Woledzi's Stoppage-Time Header Gives Nashville SC First-Ever Road Win Over Red Bulls, 1-0

Ninety-two minutes in, with Sports Illustrated Stadium bracing for a scoreless draw, Cristian Espinoza stood over a free kick and whipped it toward the far post. Maxwell Woledzi got there first and headed it into the bottom left corner. Just like that, Nashville SC had done something it had never done before.

Nashville beat Red Bull New York 1-0 on Wednesday night, the club's first road victory over New York in its history, according to Nashville SC. It was also the first goal the club had ever scored at the stadium. Brian Schwake made the one save he needed for the clean sheet, and the MLS leaders stretched their lead in the Supporters' Shield race, per the AP.

Red Bulls Bring the Energy, Not the Finish

The Red Bulls had the better of the opening exchanges. Julian Hall slipped onto an Adri Mehmeti through ball in the 10th minute and dragged his shot just wide, and Matthew Dos Santos had an effort blocked in the 16th. Nashville spent much of the early going stepping into offside positions, flagged three times in the first 23 minutes.

The hosts kept knocking. Jorge Ruvalcaba had a shot blocked and Mehmeti fired over in the 29th, and in the 33rd Emil Forsberg forced Schwake into a save low to the bottom right corner. A minute later, Julián Bazán got on the end of a Dos Santos cross after a corner from very close range and somehow put his header wide. That was the Red Bulls' best chance of the half, and it went begging.

Nashville finally woke up late in the half. Sam Surridge forced a save from Ethan Horvath in the 39th, and the visitors won three corners in four minutes without turning any of them into a clean look. Matthew Corcoran's effort off one of them sailed high and wide. It was 0-0 at the break.

A Second Half Built for a Draw

Hany Mukhtar sent a free kick over early in the second half, and the game settled into a grind. Reed Baker-Whiting headed wide off a corner in the 56th, Corcoran was booked in the 58th, and Mukhtar forced Horvath into his second save with a shot from distance in the 59th.

Both coaches went to the bench around the hour. Red Bulls head coach Michael Bradley sent on Mijahir Jiménez and Mohammed Sofo, and Nashville brought on Andy Nájar and then Espinoza in the 62nd. The Red Bulls kept creating half-chances and wasting them. Hall fired high and wide on a break in the 63rd, Sofo and Ruvalcaba were blocked, and in the 73rd Jiménez had the hosts' golden opportunity, a left-footed shot from the left side of the six-yard box that went just wide to the left. Hall missed narrowly again from a tight angle in the 78th.

Nashville had its own late looks. Baker-Whiting had a header blocked in the 76th, Mukhtar was blocked in the 80th, and Surridge missed to the left off a corner in the 81st. Justin Che had to leave injured in the 88th, with Tim Parker replacing him, and the fourth official put up seven minutes of stoppage time.

Then, in the 92nd minute, Espinoza delivered a free kick and Woledzi did the rest.

The Difference Makers

Maxwell Woledzi took one shot all night and won the game with it. Nashville said it was the defender's second MLS goal of the season.

Cristian Espinoza changed the game off the bench. The club said the assist was his 10th of the MLS season and his fifth in his last four regular-season matches, and that he became the sixth player in MLS history with at least 10 assists in five straight seasons.

Brian Schwake had a quiet night, but the one save he made was a good one. Nashville named him Man of the Match and said the shutout gave him 14 clean sheets in all competitions, a club record for a single season. The AP noted the rookie has nine shutouts in his first 20 starts.

Hany Mukhtar put one of his three shots on target and hit a milestone along the way. The club said its captain became Nashville's all-time leader in regular-season starts (185) and minutes played (16,636), passing goalkeeper Joe Willis in both.

The Turning Point

Jiménez's miss in the 73rd minute. The Red Bulls had 13 shots on the night and put only one on target. That chance, from inside the six-yard box, was their best opening of the second half, and it went wide. Nineteen minutes later, deep in stoppage time, Nashville made them pay from a set piece.

Stats That Matter

• Shots: Red Bulls 13 (1 on target), Nashville 11 (3 on target).
• Possession: Red Bulls 54.4 percent, Nashville 45.6 percent.
• Corners: Nashville 10, Red Bulls 7.
• Offsides: Nashville was flagged five times; the Red Bulls not once.
• Clearances: Red Bulls 33, Nashville 25.

What It Means

Nashville SC improved to 14-4-2 with 46 points, which the club said keeps it first in MLS. Per Nashville, it is unbeaten in 13 of its last 14 MLS matches, and the AP noted it has gone 7-1-1 in its last nine. The win came four days after a 4-1 home victory over Inter Miami. Per the club, Nashville now has one win, two losses and two draws all time at Sports Illustrated Stadium, and hosts the Columbus Crew on Saturday.

Red Bull New York fell to 7-4-9 with 25 points and has lost two straight after a 2-1 defeat at Atlanta on Saturday. "When we needed to really, really dig in, really concentrate, really compete and really be ready to deal with one more at the end of the game we let ourselves down," Bradley said, per the club. The Red Bulls host Chicago Fire FC on Saturday.

A Late Key Change

In Music City terms, this one was a slow ballad for 90 minutes, then a key change in the final verse. Nashville does not need to dominate games to win them right now. It just needs one free kick, one header and a goalkeeper who makes the save that matters. That is what a first-place team sounds like.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Postgame quotes as reported by Red Bull New York (newyorkredbulls.com). Match notes from the AP recap via ESPN and Nashville SC (nashvillesc.com).