‘Super Sam’ – the Englishman battling Messi for Golden Boot

The Tennessee Grizzlies, the Titans, or the Predators won the final professional sports championship between Nashville Soccer Club and the Englishman affectionately known as “Super Sam”; it was ultimately not the Grizzlies or the Predators that won.

Sam Surridge scored 29 goals in total this season, including the winning goal in the US Open Cup final earlier this month.

The 27-year-old will continue his quest for success on Sunday in a city known for its country music but not for its athletic prowess.

With 23 goals, Surridge and Lionel Messi from Inter Milan (26) and Denis Bouanga from LAFC (24), are currently tied for third place in the Major League Soccer (MLS) top scorer race for the Golden Boot.

In a final regular season game of competition for their spot in the MLS Cup play-offs, Messi and a Miami legend, which also includes Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, and Rodrigo de Paul, travel to Nashville.

A smiling Surridge, whose family and friends in the UK have been keeping a close eye on the Golden Boot tussle, says, “Midway into the season I was leading it and Messi caught up.” He recorded five doubles in five games during his breakout.

He has an incredible goalscoring record, which makes it great. It’s been a pleasure to work with him, and you also have Denis Bouanga. Now that those three-horses are racing, it’s nice. Every season is putting in incredibly good weather.

The NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies are a three-hour drive away, but ice hockey and American football have a tendency to dominate in Nashville.

Surridge enjoys watching the NHL teams Tennessee Titans and Nashville Predators, both of which are located in the city.

He explains that having attended several games, “It is pretty intense.” They are “these big guys that will smash each other because of how they play.”

However, Surridge claims that Nashville is also evolving into a “soccer city” in response to their success at the US Open Cup.

The football team was only established nine years ago, joining MLS in 2020, having previously held the same role at Liverpool. Miami’s visit to Geodis Park on Sunday will be one of the season’s most sought-after tickets due to the crowd’s just over 30 000 fans at their purpose-built facility.

Surridge notes that “a lot of people enjoy their sports in general.” They will travel to the NFL, NHL, and soccer fields. They adore living here. The Lionel Messi-effect has definitely helped, and I’ve seen it grow.

In America, it is much more of an occasion. They want to be entertained, which is great because that’s what we do in the end.

“We have a lot of fans at our stadium, but Inter Miami frequently switches stadiums. The football team will have a huge celebration.

Surridge anticipates that the next World Cup in North America will raise the profile of football there further because Nashville frequently trains at 8am before it gets too hot.

He continues, “The players will have to adjust to the heat really hard.” You saw it during the Club World Cup, where teams were forced to stop even preparing because the conditions were so hot and challenging.

“I can’t imagine what it’s like to play at 3 o’clock in the middle of the day.” You get water breaks, but that is completely unhelpful.

Surridge’s path has been somewhat different from the 38-year-old legend he is trying to find.

When Surridge was sent out on loan by Bournemouth to Weymouth in the Southern League as a 17-year-old, Messi had just won his fifth of his eight Ballon d’Or titles.

Before breaking through with the Cherries in the Championship in 2020-21, moving to Stoke City and then Nottingham Forest in January 2022, he continued to learn his trade through loan spells at Poole, Yeovil, Oldham, Oldham, and then Swansea City.

The striker made seven goals in the Premier League that year as Steve Cooper’s side were promoted to the title, but just one of his 20 top-flight starts did so.

“I look at coming from Weymouth, then Poole Town, Yeovil, Oldham, and all these clubs that I used to play for when I was younger,” says Surridge, who left for Nashville in July 2023.

“There I learned a lot,” she said. Because they are unlikely to have played the same way I did, it prepared me for playing in America. Even though it was challenging when I was younger, it has helped me greatly now.

He claims that Messi’s rivalry is “amazing.” I want to continue the journey at the same time. I am aware that I am not yet at my peak. I need to learn more because I have so much.

Surridge left Forest during a summer when the Premier League side signed 14 players. He was given a new opportunity in Nashville, earning around £5 million, and thereby becoming a designated player.

I desired to play, “I wanted to go.” He says, “I wanted to try something different. A different challenge seemed to be what I wanted. When Nashville said, “Here is the number nine shirt, come do the business for us,” I had the opportunity.

I think I have redeemed their faith. That is what I wanted from a team. I went through it in my career, but I haven’t really experienced it.

It will take a lot of effort for me to move on from that now that I have it. So I’m very happy, then.

Surridge, his fiancee, their young son, and their dog call Nashville home because they find it to be more assured and composed.

That has become his most prolific season thus far, with 29 goals in 36 games, almost double his previous best of 15 goals in 32 games.

He explains that “experience and age help.” I’ve continued to work hard. As you get older, you gain more experience and are much calmer when you’re in front of a goal.

“It’s very helpful to have the backing of a club that wants to play me every week.” I am aware of my needs and what my current expectations are from a club and players.

He is unlikely to be seen on Broadway or in the city’s renowned honky-tonk music bars. He laughs and says, “Definitely not my cup of tea.” However, Surridge would advise anyone considering moving to the Nashville area.

It is perfect and I adore it. The Slough-born forward says that having Nashville as a family is wonderful.