Nashville SC lost their first of three guaranteed Leagues Cup matches to Leon. It was a narrow contest that ultimately saw the Boys in Gold lose 1-nil to Club León of Liga MX.
Ben Wright
Here's a look at which players stood out.
• Players begin with a base grade of 6 and can increase or decrease their rating based on performance.
• Players must play a minimum of 15 minutes to earn a rating.
Xavier Valdez - 6.5
Xavier Valdez wasn't terribly busy in his first start for Nashville SC. He only received two shots on target, including the goal, but was overall fine collecting set pieces and crosses. It's hard to pin the goal on him, considering that he was left stranded by his defenders.
He had a couple of questionable moments on the ball, but overall he was secure enough for what the game demanded.
Stock: Unchanged
Josh Bauer - 6.0
Josh Bauer was fine throughout his shift, but his limitations on the ball meant that most of the play was on the opposite side. Still good defensively, which makes him a great backup option. It's also a bit unfair that he has to compete with the best right-back in the league, Andy Nájar.
Stock: Unchanged
Jack Maher - 5.0
Not the best of nights for Jack Maher, who had a couple of bad giveaways when on the ball, including one that resulted in the game's only goal. To be fair to the center-back, it was a good tackle that just happened to end up at Sebastián Santos' feet. That said, he had a couple of other shaky moments throughout the match.
Stock: Down
¡La Fiera abre el marcador! 🦁
— Leagues Cup (@LeaguesCup) August 6, 2026
Gran jugada colectiva de @clubleonfc y Daniel Arcila la manda al fondo de la red para el 1-0 en Nashville ⚽️
Live on @AppleTV 📺 https://t.co/piZfGMkYel pic.twitter.com/zcheR1b27H
Thomas Williams - 7.5
Thomas Williams had a great first start for Nashville, though it didn't start too well. He struggled a bit in the first 15 minutes and got himself booked, but things came together for the center-back after that.
He was nearly perfect on the ball and led the game in touches with 104. The 21-year-old was doing his best Maxwell Woledzi impression by driving forward with the ball and making unexpected runs. The raw talent is clearly there, but some growth and adaptation are needed. If he can hone his skills, he will have a very bright future.
Stock: Up
Valair Shabilla
Reed Baker-Whiting - 8.0
Reed Baker-Whiting's return to the starting lineup was a great one. Tenacious and alert defensively, active and precise going forward. His physicality is also impressive, and it allowed him to get into 50/50s up and down the pitch.
Nashville clearly missed him while he was out. Whether on the bench or starting, he is slated to play a big role for the rest of the season.
Stock: Up
Charles-Emile Brunet - 7.0
Charles-Emile Brunet was one of three Nashville players to start their first game for the club. The Montreal native was very active throughout the match and covered a lot of ground. He had the most defensive contributions (13) and won the most duels (11).
Stock: Up
Bryan Acosta - 7.5
A solid shift from Bryan Acosta. The Honduran was all over the pitch, winning the ball up and down. He also had a few great passes that didn't always pan out but created the needed pressure on Leon. His only flaw was that he grew frustrated with the referee and the opposition throughout the match, earning a yellow card in the first half.
Stock: Up
Ahmed Qasem - 5.0
It was another rough showing for Ahmed Qasem, who is struggling to make things work. He was limited to 13 accurate passes throughout the entire 90. He also struggled to beat his man on multiple occasions and gave the ball away. While the talent is there, the consistency is simply lacking.
Stock: Down
Elias Saad - 8.0
A very good first start from Elias Saad. He was one of, if not the best player for Nashville. He was involved in every positive attack Nashville had and completed the most dribbles in the match. There was a clear contrast between him and Qasem on the other flank. His partnership with Baker-Whiting seems to be developing well, as they caused León a lot of issues.
Stock: Up
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Warren Madrigal - 6.0
Warren Madrigal is coming back from injury, and it's clear that he doesn't have the match sharpness yet. He wasn't bad by any means, but his reactions might've been a step behind. The positive is that he is already working as hard as he ever has, and he handled his defensive duties well.
Stock: Unchanged
Woobens Pacius - 5.0
Woobens Pacius struggled to get into the game and was very limited overall. Some of that is on him and some on the delivery, or lack thereof. 15 touches, only one in the opposition box, and seven passes are simply not good enough. He did win a few duels. At the end of the day, this was a big opportunity for him, and he failed to capitalize on it.
Stock: Down
Substitutes
Eddi Tagseth - 6.5
A good cameo for Eddi Tagseth, who's starting to gain momentum as he comes back from injury. He covered a lot of ground and connected in all but one of his passes.
Stock: Unchanged
Sam Surridge - 7.5
Sam Surridge came on in the 62nd minute and still ended up with more shots than anyone else for Nashville. It was clear that the León defenders struggled to get a hold of him. He had Nashville's best chance and came really close to scoring if it wasn't for an incredible Óscar García save.
Stock: Unchanged
Ben Wright
Andy Nájar - 6.0
Andy Nájar didn't have as many touches on the ball as he usually does, but he still offered Nashville a creative outlet from a deep area.
Stock: Unchanged
Dan Lovitz - 6.0
Nothing to write home about for Dan Lovitz, who had an average Dan Lovitz performance.
Stock: Unchanged
Shak Mohammed - N/A
Shak Mohammed was part of the "throwing the kitchen sink" approach. He was able to bring some needed energy, but that's about it.
Stock: Unchanged
Manager
BJ Callaghan - 6.5
Heavily rotating the squad is a risk BJ Callaghan was willing to take. While the team played well overall, they were unable to get a result thanks to a couple of mistakes in the back. With the injuries and the competition for the Supporters' Shield, it's hard to blame Callaghan for his decision.
Perhaps he could've included more starters, but one has to ask if that is worth it, especially in a physical match like this one. He is not blame-free, but this is far from a huge mistake.
