Preview: Nashville SC vs Atlético Ottawa (Concacaf Champions Cup)

Nashville SC head into the return leg with a 2-0 aggregate lead

February 24, 2026 . 9:31 AM

3 min read

On Tuesday night, Nashville SC take on Atlético Ottawa in the second leg of their 2026 Concacaf Champions League tie. With a 2-0 win in the first leg, the 'Yotes carry momentum and a significant aggregate lead with them to Geodis Park.

Match info

Teams: Nashville SC vs Atlético Ottawa
Date: Tuesday, February 24, 2026
Time: 7:00 pm CT, Geodis Park, Nashville, TN, United States
TV: Fox Sports 2 / TUDN
Forecast: 47º/18º. 43º at kickoff. Cloudy. 4 mph winds. 0% chance of rain. 75% humidity.

Atlético Ottawa

Atlético Ottawa head into Nashville with a mountain to climb. Down 2-0 on aggregate, they not only have to score at least two of their own, but keep Nashville quiet at home. A goal for Nashville would require a 3-1 Ottawa win to advance. Two goals would require a 4-2 win, and so on. It's a big ask for the Canadian Premier League side.

They were resolute defensively in the first leg, keeping Nashville quiet for the first 45 minutes and causing problems with their compact defensive shape.

"The scoreline can be a scoreline, but some of the challenges they presented with and without the ball – specifically, their really good compactness defensively – we have to figure out how to find new ways to disorganize that group," said Nashville coach BJ Callaghan.

Expect Ottawa to try a similar defensive gameplan, but to come out of their shell more early in an attempt to get a goal back that will get them back in the game early.

Predicted XI

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Nashville SC

Nashville SC snapshot

With a 2-0 win in the first leg, and a 4-1 win over New England in their MLS opener, Nashville find themselves in really good shape to approach the second leg. Their starting group was able to rotate out of the match on Saturday, keeping themselves fresh for potential involvement tonight, while the two away goals give them breathing room to play a similar lineup to the first leg.

Woobens Pacius was strong in his Nashville debut, mixing the holdup play expected from the No. 9 position with real quality in the final third. He should continue to get the nod up top. Ahmed Qasem looked lively in his cameo on Saturday, and will likely want to respond to an electric MLS debut from Warren Madrigal with a strong performance tonight.

Even with a rotated side, Nashville should have the quality to get through this tie.