All-Star snub? Sam Surridge hat trick sends Nashville SC soaring | OneFootball

By Ben Wright

Nashville SC head coach BJ Callaghan was typically understated after a 3-2 come-from-behind win in New England on Saturday night.

The Coyotes are on a 12-match unbeaten run in all competitions. But while others may be starting to think of them as a potential trophy contender, the first-year coach isn't letting himself get distracted.

"We don't put expectations on ourselves," Callaghan told reporters after the match.

"Their jobs are to be prepared and be ready to perform and the next man up when your number is called," he added. "We know that we're expecting everybody to make contributions over a long MLS season.

"And we just come to work every day, put our work in, stick to the way we want to play, stick to the way we want to prepare, and continue to just turn every page."

Surging Surridge

Sam Surridge's second hat-trick of the season saw him move into first place in the Golden Boot race. He's up to 15 goals on the season and is second in MLS with 18 goal contributions.

And yet, the league's top scorer wasn't selected for the MLS All-Star game.

When asked, Callaghan shrugged it off.

"We don't really get into that. I'm just happy he's scoring and keeps scoring," he laughed. "... He's scoring, but there's so many other ways that he's contributing as well, which is what we're most proud about."

For veteran defender Daniel Lovitz, the English No. 9 makes everything easier.

"Obviously, once the goals start coming, he's a really dangerous guy to play against," he said. "It's something that we've found out; throughout his time here, and having him be so prolific is so important to free up space for other guys, but he's such a killer in the most important moments.

"That's what [you would] want for your No. 9. He's a pleasure to play with."

WATCH: Sam Surridge takes Golden Boot lead with hat trick

Heating up

Nashville are one of the most in-form teams in MLS.

On a 10-match unbeaten run in league play, they've earned 11 points from their last five matches, climbing into third place in the Eastern Conference and fourth place in the Supporters' Shield standings.

"We're going to focus on being ourselves every game, you know, not trying to be a chameleon and morph into whatever environment we're going to play, who we're going to play," said Lovitz. "We're just trying to do us better. I think we've made strides in being consistent in improving that and really fine-tuning some details."

As Callaghan has preached all year, Nashville are truly oriented on process, not results.

That mindset has allowed them to avoid getting too low after poor results. Now, it's helping them avoid getting too high.

"It's about having a consistent mindset, whether we're home or away," Callaghan said. "We know how we want to play, and we don't want to change that.

"That gives us a level of consistency where we don't factor where we're playing or who we're playing. We want to play our way... I know it's cliche, but you try to control what you can control. So the group is doing really good at staying neutral, staying in the middle and just going about our work each and every day."

WATCH: Sam I Am! Surridge hat trick guides Nashville at New England