Nashville SC will take on host Orlando City in a matchup of Eastern Conference teams that can clinch playoff berths on Saturday.

Nashville (15-10-5, 50 points) enters on a high after Sam Surridge scored a hat trick in a 3-1 victory Tuesday over the Philadelphia Union in the U.S. Open Cup semifinals.

The brilliant work of Surridge helped Nashville SC recover from a tailspin in which they had lost five of six MLS matches, with the lone win coming against Orlando City, 5-1, four weeks ago.

"We've had a bit of a sticky patch but a game like (Tuesday) will give us confidence," said Surridge, who leads the MLS in goals with 21, one more than Lionel Messi of Inter Miami.

Surridge has teamed with 2022 league MVP Hany Mukhtar (14 goals, 11 assists) to give Nashville the most prolific scoring du

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