MLS player of Matchday

NEW YORK (Monday, April 28, 2025) – Nashville SC forward Sam Surridge was voted the Major League Soccer Player of the Matchday presented by Michelob Ultra for Matchday 10 of the 2025 MLS season.

Nashville SC put on an offensive show on Saturday night with seven goals, featuring a standout, four-goal performance from Surridge in a 7-2 victory over Chicago Fire FC. Nashville’s seven goals were the most by an MLS team since the Philadelphia Union scored seven against D.C. United on July 8, 2022, in a 7-0 win.

Surridge became the 19th player in MLS history to score four goals in a single match and the second to do so this year, joining Vancouver’s Brian White (April 12). Saturday’s match marked his second career MLS hat trick, as he became the second player in Nashville history to record multiple career hat tricks, joining Hany Mukhtar (four). With five goals in the first half, including a pair of goals from both Surridge and Hany Mukhtar, Nashville became the fifth team in MLS history to score five goals in the first half of a match and also the first since Philadelphia on July 8, 2022.

The Englishman opened the game’s scoring in the 14th minute, converting from the penalty spot for a 1-0 lead. After a trio of goals from Jeisson Palacios and Mukhtar (two), Surridge added Nashville’s fifth first-half goal and his second from the penalty spot in the ninth minute of first-half added time. He quickly capitalized in the second half, scoring the club’s sixth and seventh goals just seven minutes apart. In the 50th minute, Surridge received a long pass from Andy Najar and slotted a strong left-footed finish past the Fire ‘keeper to complete his hat trick . He added his record-setting fourth goal in the 57th minute in similar fashion, connecting with Najar on a long run and delivering a powerful right-footed blow past the Fire goalkeeper.

This is the first Player of the Matchday presented by Michelob Ultra honor for Surridge, who becomes the third different Nashville player to earn the accolades since 2020, joining Mukhtar (eight times) and Randall Leal. He is the first Nashville SC player to win since Leal on Matchday 22 of the 2023 season.

Nashville will return to action in a Saturday matinee, as they travel to Mercedes-Benz Stadium and face an Atlanta United squad that is hungry for a win (2:45 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV / Apple TV+ / FOX / FOX Deportes).

The MLS Player of the Matchday presented by Michelob Ultra is selected each matchday of the regular season through both media and fan voting in a process conducted by MLS Communications. A panel of journalists from the North American Soccer Reporters (NASR) comprises 75 percent of the vote, while an Instagram fan vote represents the remaining 25 percent of voting. NASR consists of members of print, television, radio, and online media.