Sam Surridge Is Questionable for Atlanta, and Nashville's 7-Goal Leader Might Miss the Second Straight Match

Nashville SC is sitting pretty atop the MLS Eastern Conference at 5-1-1 with 16 points, but there's a problem: their leading scorer might not make the trip to Atlanta on Saturday night. Sam Surridge, tied for the league lead with seven goals, was sidelined by a hamstring injury during Tuesday's 1-0 win over Liga MX side Club America in the CONCACAF Champions Cup quarterfinal. Now the English forward is questionable for the Southeastern derby.

Nashville head coach BJ Callaghan isn't making excuses, but he's not ignoring the situation either. "He's made some good progress, and so, right now, it's just him having to clear a few hurdles with medical and performance to see if we can get him ready for Atlanta," Callaghan said. Missing your top scorer for a second straight match against any opponent is rough. Missing him in a derby game? That's a different animal.

Atlanta Is Hungry, Even If They're Struggling

Atlanta United sits at 1-5-1 with just 4 points, near the bottom of the Eastern Conference table. On paper, Nashville should roll into Mercedes-Benz Stadium and take care of business. Callaghan isn't buying it. "It doesn't matter where anybody is on the table. The table doesn't really matter this early in the season, anyway," he said. "They're going to bring out their best. We've had good games in the past during the history of both clubs, so the expectation is going to be nothing short of that."

He's got a point. Atlanta just snapped a three-match losing streak by beating Chattanooga FC 3-1 in the U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday, and they'll be playing in front of their home crowd. The Five Stripes are desperate to find momentum before the World Cup break. Atlanta head coach Tata Martino knows the results have been poor, but he's focused on what comes next. "The poor results are something we can resolve before the World Cup break, but it's also important to confidence and the emotional state of the team," Martino said through an interpreter. "What we also have to work on is not just trying to solve the results, but improving the confidence and emotional state of the team."

Atlanta Has Injury Issues of Their Own

Atlanta won't have Miguel Almiron available for up to two weeks after he felt leg discomfort during the Chattanooga match. Steven Alzate, dealing with an adductor injury, will be out as well. These two teams have history: they're deadlocked at 4-4-5 in their 13 previous regular-season meetings. Saturday could be the tiebreaker that starts to separate them in the standings.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.