Apr 7, 2026; Nashville, TN, USA; Nashville SC forward Sam Surridge (9) looks to pass the ball during their Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinal match against Club America at Geodis Park. Mandatory Credit: Alan Poizner-Imagn Images
Nashville SC will aim to shake off the disappointment of their CONCACAF Champions Cup elimination as they host D.C. United on Saturday night.
A 1-0 defeat at Tigres UANL in Mexico on Tuesday sealed a 2-0 aggregate loss in the Champions Cup semifinals, leaving Nashville (7-1-2, 23 points) just one match short of reaching a second continental final in club history.
Saturday’s home game marks the fifth contest in 15 days for manager B.J. Callaghan’s squad, which has also failed to score in its last three matches across all competitions.
However, with a strong MLS start that still sees Nashville four points clear at the top of the Eastern Conference, Callaghan believes the setback could reignite his team.
“When it’s over, it’s over. So you kind of almost see a refreshed-ness in the group, that we know we have a full focus on MLS play and MLS play only,” Callaghan said. “We’ve got a great sense of hunger out of the Tigres game. And I think we just want to continue to fuel that kind of fire in our eyes, fire in our belly.”
Sam Surridge was the last Nashville player to find the net, scoring his eighth and ninth goals of the season in the second half of a 4-2 home win over Charlotte on April 25.
He will be part of an intriguing subplot on Saturday: the meeting of two of MLS’s most productive strikers since the start of 2025. D.C. United striker Tai Baribo is expected to return from a thigh injury that sidelined him for his team’s last two matches.
Baribo has six goals for D.C. (4-4-3, 15 points) after scoring 16 for Philadelphia last season. Even without the Israeli international, the Black-and-Red have looked sharp, extending a four-match unbeaten run with consecutive wins—3-2 at home against Orlando on April 25 and 2-0 at New York City FC last Sunday.
“It gives us this confidence boost,” D.C. manager Rene Weiler said. “We know that we are able to play good games against all of the teams in our league. But it will be a tough game. And of course we know how difficult it is to win games. It hasn’t changed after this win.”
Club-record offseason signing Louis Munteanu scored once against Orlando and twice in New York, notching his first three career MLS goals.
–Field Level Media
