Hail, Mukhtar!
On a night when rock musical giant Elton John was saying farewell to his faithful at Nissan Stadium, Nashville SC’s star Hany Mukhtar was effectively announcing his arrival as the best player and most prolific scorer in this nation’s premier soccer circuit while taking on the Houston Dynamo at GEODIS Park on October 2, 2022, in a match that had serious playoff implications in the competitive MLS Western Conference.
Hany Mukhtar
Just a bit of symmetry and similarity took place this early fall evening. Not long after kickoff, Elton would begin his concert across town with the always declarative and adrenaline-inducing “Bennie and the Jets” on the pitch that Mukhtar called home for the previous two seasons and where he really began to make a name for himself in Major League Soccer as he consistently lands the ball in the back of the net in Nashville and points beyond. And while John’s “Farewell Yellow Brick Road World Tour” was winding down across the river, so was the Boys in Gold first campaign in their new stadium coming down to its final home match of the regular season.
While Mukhtar was in consideration for the league’s top honors last year – in 2022, he is in a neck-to-neck battle with Austin FC’s Sebastian Driussi for the honor as he has propelled the nascent Nashvillians to their third playoff appearance in their first remarkable and memorable three seasons in the league. Hany’s grasp on the Golden Boot – awarded to the top MLS goal-getter – is a little firmer with a 23 to 21 lead over the same Sebastian Driussi with one game to play. In fact, during last night’s match, Hany might have had too much weight in the boot as the most exciting moment of the game came when his long chip found the enemy goalkeeper off guard before the shot bounced helplessly off of the crossbar.
It was fan appreciation night, but supporters found little to appreciate for the rest of the night as the home team’s effort fell flat at the most inopportune time, ultimately falling 2-1 to the worst squad in the west. Still, Nashville SC does appreciate their fans and especially the musicians within their ranks. Their most valuable mascot, Tempo was on hand to cheer on contestants who competed in the Second Annual Nashville SC Riff-Off, with champion Bill Worrell beating out eight worthy opponents to have his moment in the shredding spotlight to start the game. Fan Aaron Farquhar was also featured during the Main Stage Halftime show, where he delivered a perfect “Boys in Gold” parody of a John Denver song.
Nashville SC also appreciates their hard-working media as select members of the press corps received an autographed vinyl record featuring Hany Mukhtar’s greatest goals of the season as a thank you for the great coverage of the games at the Nashville Fairgrounds. So, it is with much fanfare that we wish #10 all the best as the voting for 2022 MLS MVP winds down. It’s also fair to say that maybe the sharp-shooting mid-fielder has a bit more in common with Reginald Kenneth Dwight, who was banging away at the keys across the Cumberland. After all, now they both have records they can be proud of.
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Published originally in MUSIC CITY NASHVILLE. Published in TSC by authors’ request.
Related Links: For more information on NASHVILLE SC and the other organizations mentioned, please visit the following links – Nashville SC | Nashville SC Begins a New Chapter with Historic Home Opener at GEODIS Park | Hany Mukhtar – A Star Is Born in Nashville
