Nashville SC to Host English Premier League Side Aston Villa FC Saturday at GEODIS Park
MLS Nashville SC

Nashville SC to Host English Premier League Side Aston Villa FC Saturday at GEODIS Park

July 31, 2025 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Nashville SC News Release


NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Nashville Soccer Club will play its first-ever match against a club from the English Premier League (EPL), England's top tier division and the most watched sports league in the world, when it hosts Aston Villa Football Club (AVFC) for an international friendly at GEODIS Park at 4 p.m. CT on Saturday, Aug. 2. Tickets are available at NashvilleSC.com/tickets and Ticketmaster.com.

The Boys in Gold, who will be idle from Major League Soccer play until they visit St. Louis CITY SC on Aug. 9, are off to their best start in club history (14W-6L-5D, 47 points) and sit just three points back of the Philadelphia Union for first place in MLS and the Eastern Conference with nine regular season fixtures remaining.

Aston Villa, which will kick off its EPL season Aug. 16, will conclude their three-match United States preseason tour at GEODIS Park after earning a 2-2 draw with German Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt July 27 in Louisville, KY and a 2-1 win over Nashville's next MLS opponent, St. Louis CITY SC, July 30.

Here are five things to know for Saturday's fixture.

Aston Villa, which has emerged in recent years into a top-of-the-standings club under Spanish Head Coach Unai Emery, finished sixth in the EPL last season and played in this year's prestigious UEFA Champions League tournament for the first time where it reached the quarterfinals against French soccer giant and eventual champion Paris Saint-Germain. In addition, the team reached the semifinal of the 2025 FA Cup, the oldest national football competition in the world.

The Villans are led by England's National Team forward Ollie Watkins. The 29-year-old striker had 16 goals and 8 assists in the Premier League last season, one goal and four assists in the UEFA Champions League, and two assists during the FA Cup.

Forward Sam Surridge, who is tied with Inter Miami CF's Lionel Messi for MLS' Golden Boot lead with 18 goals, is a native of Slough, England and joined Nashville SC by way of the EPL when he signed as the club's third Designated Player from Nottingham Forest in July of 2023. Earlier this season, the Most Valuable Player candidate and 2025 MLS All-Star became the first English-born player in MLS history to record 10 goals during a six-match span and fourth Englishman in league history to record multiple seasons of at least 10 goals, the first Nashville SC player to score in six-straight matches, and the first Boy in Gold to have a four-goal game in Nashville SC's historic 7-2 win over Chicago Fire FC.

First-year Nashville SC defender Andy Najar, who leads MLS in goal contributions by his position group with 11 (goal, 10 assists), was teammates with Aston Villa's Leander Dendoncker (2014-18) and Yourl Tielemans (2013-17) when the trio played for RSC Anderlecht in Belgium's premier league. Tielemans assisted on Najar's goal in Anderlecht's 2-1 Europa League win over Qarabag FK in December of 2015 and the NSC defender has one goal and one assist (against Arsenal F.C. in UEFA Champions League during 2014) in three career matches versus EPL opponents.

Following Saturday's friendly, Nashville SC will resume its chase for the MLS Supporters' Shield when it visits St. Louis CITY SC on Saturday, Aug. 9 in its second of three straight regular season road matches. The Boys in Gold will face New York City FC at Yankee Stadium on Aug. 17 before finishing the month with back-to-back matches at GEODIS Park: Aug. 23 against Orlando City SC for 90's Night presented by Renasant and Aug. 30 against Atlanta United FC presented by Vanderbilt Health. Tickets for both matches at The Castle are available at NashvilleSC.com/tickets.

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Major League Soccer Stories from July 31, 2025


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