No rest for the weary! After a 0-0 draw with Inter Miami midweek in Concacaf Champions Cup, Nashville SC turn right back around for a trip to Ohio, looking to keep their unbeaten start to the MLS season alive with a result against the Columbus Crew.
They also have another match against Inter Miami looming, set to travel to Ft. Lauderdale next week for the second leg of their Concacaf Champions Cup Round of 16 matchup, needing a result to advance.
Get ready for the match with us!
Match info
Teams: Columbus Crew vs Nashville SC
Referees: Fotis Bazakos (Ref), Brian Dunn (AR1), Justin Howard (AR2), Elvis Osmanović (4th), Edvin Jurisević (VAR), Jonathan Johnson (AVAR)
Odds: CLB (-105), Draw (+280), NSH (+220)
Date: Saturday, March 14, 2026
Time: 5:15 pm CT, ScottsMiracle-Gro Field, Columbus, OH, United States
TV: MLS Season Pass – Apple TV (Free), Fox Sports 1
Apple TV Commentary: Neil Sika & Kyndra de St. Aubin (English), Francisco X. Rivera (Spanish)
FS1 Commentary: Alex Heinert & Lloyd Sam
Radio: 104.5 The Zone
Radio Commentary (104.5): Lucas Panzica
Forecast: 46º/32º. 46º at kickoff. Cloudy. 3-13 mph winds. 0% chance of rain. 54% humidity.
Head-to-head
Nashville wins: 3
Nashville goals: 11
Draws: 4
Columbus wins: 4
Columbus goals: 14
Last meeting: NSH 3-0 CLB (July 16, 2025 | MLS)
Availability report
Published Friday at approximately 4 pm CT
Columbus Crew
The numbers
Goal leaders: Diego Rossi & Wessam Abou Ali (2)
Assist leaders: Taha Habroune, Wessam Abou Ali (1)
Last match: CLB 0-0 CHI (MLS regular season)
Data Power Rankings: 23rd (7.71 score)
Columbus snapshot
Columbus are in the midst of a major transition. Wilfried Nancy, one of the best head coaches in MLS history, is gone. He left after the 2025 season to take charge of Celtic, where he lasted all of 33 days. In his place, the Crew brought in Swedish manager Henrik Rydström. The former Malmö coach has a lot of stylistic similarities to Nancy, but the transition hasn't been straightforward.
Through three matches, the Crew have two draws and one loss and haven't convinced. A loss on the road to a poor Portland Timbers side opened their season, and they followed it up with a draw on the road against a Sporting Kansas City side widely viewed as one of the worst teams in MLS.
SixOneFive Soccer Staff
The retirement of midfielder and captain Darlington Nagbe is another hurdle for the Crew to manage. Nagbe was a fixture in the lineup, and one of the best midfielders in MLS history. Without him, there's been a lot of chopping and changing in midfield. Taha Habroune, Dylan Chambost, Sean Zawadzki, and Amar Sejdić have each gotten starts in Columbus's midfield pair, as Rydström seeks for his best combination.
Ahead of them, though, this Crew side is still incredibly dangerous. Diego Rossi is a top tier attacker in MLS, and striker Wessam Abou Ali looks like one of the more complete No. 9s in MLS. They've created the sixth-most expected goals in MLS, more than Nashville, and defensively they're right in the middle of the pack.
The underlying numbers like a lot about this team. The results likely aren't far behind.
Predicted XI
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Nashville SC
The numbers
Goal leaders: Sam Surridge (4), Hany Mukhtar, Cristian Espinoza & Warren Madrigal (1)
Assist leaders: Patrick Yazbek (2), Warren Madrigal (1)
Last match: NSH 0-0 MIA (Concacaf Champions Cup R16)
Data Power Rankings: 5th (22.94 score)
Nashville SC snapshot
The big question for Nashville SC this week comes down to rotation. Needing a result next Wednesday in Ft. Lauderdale to advance past Inter Miami into the Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinals, will BJ Callaghan rest key players to keep the squad fresh?
Ben Wright
Nashville have been adamant that they want to compete to win both competitions, with Callaghan often repeating that they'll put out the best possible lineup for every match. Players like Hany Mukhtar, Sam Surridge, and Cristian Espinoza want to play every match every week, even in heavily congested stretches of the season. They also have long track records of being able to perform in multi-game weeks.
Callaghan may opt to rotate from the start, but it's more likely that he'll field a mostly first-choice attack and make substitutions earlier in the second half than he typically does, saving their legs a bit for Wednesday.
Nashville are in strong form to start the season, and have shown that they can create chances consistently. Against a Crew defense still figuring things out, they'll be able to create chances.
Predicted XI
Staff predictions
Ben Wright
Score: CLB 1–2 NSH
Scorers: Sam Surridge, Woobens Pacius
MOTM: Maxwell Woledzi
Bold prediction: A moderately-rotated lineup keeps it 1-1 before Woobens Pacius grabs his first MLS goal to win the match off the bench.
Chris Ivey
Score: CLB 2–0 NSH
Scorers: N/A
MOTM:
Bold prediction: A rotated lineup and distracted minds lead to lapses at the back.
Jeff Remlinger
Score: CLB 1–1 NSH
Scorers: Woobens Pacius
MOTM: Brian Schwake
Bold prediction: You can skip the game and know exactly how it plays out. All focus on Wednesday.
Ronan Briscoe
Score: CLB 0–0 NSH
Scorers: N/A
MOTM: The viewer at home who sits through this
Bold prediction: Nashville's focus is on Wednesday, and the lineup will be rotated. Nashville will try to suffocate the game on the road.
Valair Shabilla
Score: CLB 1–2 NSH
Scorers: Sam Surridge, Warren Madrigal
MOTM: Hany Mukhtar
Bold prediction: BJ Callaghan will only rotate one or two players.
