This is one of the more cut-and-dry editions of How We Voted, the weekly feature where I lay out the logic behind my votes cast with the North American Soccer Reporters for MLS Player of the Matchday.
Sam Surridge of Nashville SC scored four goals, the 19th player in MLS history to do it, as his team won a 7-2 blowout in the USMNT Coaching Staff Grudge Match between Nashville's BJ Callaghan and his former national team boss, Gregg Berhalter of Chicago Fire FC.
He got my vote and probably got (roughly) everybody else's vote, though it was slightly tougher to settle on a runner-up to fill out my two-line ballot – so it's worth reading on for more about the big nights for Surridge and Nashville, and why I forgave a costly missed penalty kick when deciding who to put in second place on my ballot.
Below you'll also find the latest MLS Team of the Matchday, which again includes Alonso Martínez of New York City FC on the bench as a substitute.
The HRB Ballot, Matchday 10
1. Sam Surridge, Nashville SC
Score four goals and you get a vote for Player of the Matchday, and likely a big win. It was true for Brian White of Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Matchday 8 and it's true for Sam Surridge of Nashville SC this Matchday 10.
Two of Surridge's four goals were penalty kicks but he also drew the fouls in both cases, so he didn't lose any proverbial points for picking up his goals from the spot. Surridge opened the scoring for Nashville in the 14th minute, which opened the floodgates against a Chicago defense that found itself down 4-0 after 31 minutes. Surridge got his second penalty-kick goal deep – nine minutes – into first-half stoppage time to make it 5-0 Nashville, then added two from open play in the second half to stretch the lead to 7-0.
Surridge's open-play goals were pure Route One stuff, the sizable English striker cutting straight through the middle of the broken-spirited Fire defense to latch onto long upfield passes from teammate Andy Najar before finishing coolly past a demoralized Chris Brady. Najar had a hat trick of assists in this game and could have been Player of the Matchday on his own merits – ditto for Hany Mukhtar, who had a brace and one assist of his own.
Instead, this goes down as Surridge's big moment. The 26-year-old Englishman has been serviceable if not great up top for Nashville since joining late in the 2023 season, placing in the 54th percentile of MLS forwards in 2024 for his 0.38 non-penalty expected goals (npxG) per 90 minutes in his 28 appearances. This was a signature, breakout performance that gave Nashville something of a signature win early into its BJ Callaghan Era.
2. Denis Bouanga, LAFC
It only feels right to start at the end when discussing Bouanga's performance in LAFC's 2-2 home draw against St. Louis City SC. This equalizer scored in minute 90'+5' to dramatically rescue a point for his team is, in my opinion, justification enough for Bouanga to place second on this Player of the Matchday ballot.
BOUANGAAAAA WHAT A GOAL!
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 28, 2025
A brilliant solo effort to bring LAFC level. pic.twitter.com/hkULKQRSpz
It must be said, Bouanga had a massive miss from the penalty spot that kept this from potentially being a win for LAFC, rather than a 2-2 draw-that-felt-win-like. Still, that second goal was spectacular given the individual quality from Bouanga and the clutch nature of the moment. The Gabon international had his fingerprints all over this game – five shots on target out of 10 attempts, four chances created for teammates, and he drew the foul to earn the penalty kick he'd ultimately miss.
Huge individual performance for Bouanga that got overshadowed by the poker scored by Surridge, but still should get its plaudits among Player of the Matchday voters like me.
Official Player of the Matchday: Sam Surridge
This is the first Player of the Matchday presented by Michelob Ultra honor for Sam Surridge, who becomes the third different Nashville SC player to earn the accolades since 2020, joining Hany Mukhtar (eight times) and Randall Leal. www.mlssoccer.com/news/nashvil...
— MLS Communications (@mls-pr.bsky.social) April 28, 2025 at 4:06 PM
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Brian White got 63% of the vote when he scored four goals on Matchday 8 so I'll be curious to see how that compares to the Surridge total this week, given White didn't score any of his four from the penalty spot. Scoring four goals does wonders for your standing in the MLS Golden Boot race at this early point in the lengthy MLS season – Surridge and White are both now tied on six goals, but also tied with five other players who also have scored six goals, all stuck together sharing third place.
MLS Team of the Matchday
Starters: Aljaž Ivačič (NE) - Max Arfsten (CLB), Jakob Glesnes (PHI), Andy Najar (NSH) - Antony (POR), Diego Luna (RSL), Pedro Vite (VAN), Hany Mukhtar (NSH) - Sam Surridge (NSH), Kévin Denkey (CIN), Denis Bouanga (LAFC)
Coach: B.J. Callaghan (NSH)
Bench: Andre Blake (PHI), Noah Eile (RBNY), Alex Freeman (ORL), Carles Gil (NE), Djordje Mihailovic (COL), Pedrinho (DAL), Ondřej Lingr (HOU), Marco Pašalić (ORL), Alonso Martínez (NYC)
Three starters from Nashville and BJ Callaghan as head coach, many Team of the Matchday rewards for a win that featured many Nashville goals scored. Alonso Martínez of New York City FC gets another spot on the bench, the third time he's appeared here this season. The last time Martínez got a spot on the bench, it was also a Matchday that featured competition from a four-goal scorer, Matchday 8 when Brian White had his outburst. Also doesn't help that Martínez had to compete against Kévin Denkey of FC Cincinnati, who scored a banger of a bicycle kick to earn Cincy another win, what should probably be the Goal of the Matchday. MLS is awash with lethal strikers so it takes some bigtime numbers to break into some Team of the Matchdays.
