Why Nashville SC is banking on experience for second leg vs Club America
· Yahoo Sports
History, Nashville SC coach B.J. Callaghan said after a preseason training session in January 2025, "gives you the shock absorbers for the future." It was Callaghan's way of expressing the value of experience — once you do something once, it's easier to do it again.
After an 0-0 tie with Club América at Geodis Park on April 7 in the first leg of its CONCACAF Champions Cup quarterfinal series, Nashville has a chance to prove that statement true.
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Nashville reached the quarterfinals by winning its round-of-16 series against longtime rival Inter Miami. It played Lionel Messi and the Herons to a scoreless draw at home in the first leg before a 1-1 tie in Florida in the second leg, advancing on away goals. NSC will go into the second leg against América, in Mexico City on April 14, in the exact same scenario.
"One thing I know about this team is we take things from the past and we learn from them," said midfielder Matthew Corcoran. "... We left the game knowing we could have got a little more and wanted a little more. But the good thing is there's a second game."
Just as in leg 1 against Miami, Nashville was probably the better team against América, if only by a hair. It had 56% possession and outshot the Liga MX side 13-8 (though América had four shots on goal to NSC's three). But neither team created many obvious opportunities, which is why Callaghan thought the tie was a fair result.
"I thought Club América was really organized, not a lot of space in between the lines," he said. "We have to continue to find ways to disorganize the opponent. ... In a tournament that's two legs, there's always going to be a little bit of a cagey affair. I don't think the expectation is that we're going to pile on goals, but that doesn't excuse us from the fact that we need to create better, higher quality goal-scoring chances."
Despite Nashville's struggles in attack — it went scoreless for a second straight game, following a 1-0 loss to the Chicago Fire in MLS play on April 4 — its defense remained stout. Center backs Jeisson Palacios and Maxwell Woledzi combined for seven clearances and won 14 of their 19 duels in front for goalkeeper Brian Schwake, who made four saves. NSC hasn't given up multiple goals yet in 2026.
While América's home stadium, Estadio Azteca, is one of the most challenging road venues in the world, Nashville has a crucial advantage headed into the second leg thanks to its defense. Any tie of 1-1 or greater will see Nashville through to the semifinals.
"We have the quality to get a goal with the playmakers we have," said Nashville defender Reed Baker-Whiting. "Giving ourselves a clean sheet always gives us a really good chance of winning no matter what."
That approach has paid off for Nashville before.
Jacob Shames can be reached by email at [email protected] and on X/Twitter @Jacob_Shames.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville SC banks on Champions Cup experience for second leg vs America