Preview: Nashville SC vs Charlotte FC

No, you didn't read that wrong. Nashville SC and Charlotte FC are about to play again.

14 days after Nashville won 2-1 at Bank of America Stadium, the two clubs will complete their MLS schedule at Geodis Park, with Nashville looking to make it a sweep at home before heading into midweek Concacaf Champions Cup action.

Here's what you need to know before the match.

Match info

Teams: Nashville SC vs Charlotte FC
Referees: Joe Dickerson (Ref), Cameron Blanchard (AR1), Logan Brown (AR2), Jair Marrufo (4th), Jorge Gonzalez (VAR), Craig Lowry (AVAR)
Odds: NSH (-160), Draw (+290), CLT (+380)
Date: Saturday, April 25, 2026
Time: 7:30 pm CT, Geodis Park, Nashville, TN, United States
TV: Apple TV
Apple TV Commentary: Mark Rogondino & Heath Pearce (English), Pablo Ramírez & Jesus Bracamontes (Spanish)
Radio: 104.5 The Zone
Radio Commentary (104.5): Lucas Panzica
Forecast: 73º/62º. 69º at kickoff. Partly cloudy. 1-6 mph winds. 0% chance of rain during match. 76% humidity.

Head-to-head

Southern Championship Belt table

Nashville have a commanding lead in the 2026 Southern Championship Belt table after wins over Charlotte and Atlanta. A result on Saturday would put them close to clinching the regional trophy.

Southern Championship Belt

About the Southern Championship Belt The Southern Championship Belt includes Nashville SC, Atlanta United, DC United and Charlotte FC. It’s organized by Supporters groups MixTape 615 (Nashville), Footie Mob (Atlanta), Rose Room Collective (DC) and Mint City Collective (Charlotte). The standings are determined by total points in head-to-head matches

SixOneFive SoccerSixOneFive Soccer Staff

Availability report

Published at approximately 4 pm CT

Charlotte FC

The numbers

Charlotte snapshot

Since their last meeting just 14 days ago, Charlotte's results have been all over the place. They picked up a dominant 6-0 win over USL League One outfit Charlotte Independence in the US Open Cup, taking advantage of an early red card from their regional rivals to pile on the goals with a man advantage for nearly 70 minutes.

In MLS play, they picked up an impressive 2-1 win on the road against New York City FC, giving them a boost and pushing them up the Eastern Conference table. Before they could get too comfortable, though, they were blown out of the water on Wednesday night, losing 4-1 to an Orlando City side that has otherwise looked like one of the worst clubs in the league.

Charlotte will be without Tim Ream in Nashville. The 38-year-old veteran and presumed started for the United States at the World Cup this summer came off at halftime of the New York loss, and head coach Dean Smith confirmed today that he won't return from his adductor issue until next week.

Charlotte's attack could get a boost from Wilfried Zaha. The former Crystal Palace star missed the reverse fixture with a yellow card accumulation suspension and hasn't found the net in their two MLS matches since.

On the opposite flank, though, 19-year-old Rodolfo Aloko has been incredibly exciting since signing a first-team deal out of Charlotte's MLS NEXT Pro side. After making his debut against Nashville, he's started all three of their matches and picked up a pair of assists in the Open Cup. He's a handful in and around the box, and will require special attention.

Predicted XI

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Nashville SC

The numbers

Nashville SC snapshot

While most of MLS played midweek, Nashville SC got the week off, and it couldn't have come at a better time. With a Concacaf Champions Cup semifinal coming up next week against Tigres, the 'Yotes were able to recover and get a full week in at their training center, a rarity so far this season.

Sam Surridge is back in training and available for selection after missing the trip to Club América and their win in Atlanta with a hamstring issue. With seven goals from just six matches, he's been one of the most in-form attackers in MLS this season, and will look to get back to scoring quickly ahead of CCC on Tuesday night. Warren Madrigal is also healthy, with concerns about his fitness raised after he suffered an apparent shoulder injury at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

While Nashville could rotate slightly against Charlotte, BJ Callaghan has consistently fielded nearly full-strength lineups in MLS. Don't be surprised if it's a loaded lineup on Saturday to try and finish off a conference rival.

Nashville SC are managing simultaneous MLS and Concacaf runs on an unprecedented pace

Why deep Concacaf runs don’t actually break good teams, simply expose bad ones, and why the “CCC hangover” might not hit the way you think.

SixOneFive SoccerBen Wright

Predicted XI

Staff predictions

Ben Wright

Score: NSH 3-0 CLT
Scorers: Sam Surridge (x2), Hany Mukhtar
MOTM: Hany Mukhtar
Bold prediction: Nashville double Charlotte's shots on goal without really getting out of third gear.

Jeff Remlinger

Score: NSH 3-0 CLT
Scorers: Hany Mukhtar, Cristian Espinoza, Ahmed Qasem
MOTM: Hany Mukhtar
Bold prediction: Nashville dominated opponents last year in the second matchup against them. That trend continues this year.

Ronan Briscoe

Score: NSH 2-1 CLT
Scorers: Hany Mukhtar, Maxwell Woledzi
MOTM: Hany Mukhtar
Bold prediction: Charlotte have been horrific on natural grass for 18 months plus now. But I'll use this space to ask why MLS has conference opponents play both matchups in a 3-week span?!?

Valair Shabilla

Score: NSH 2-0 CLT
Scorers: Sam Surridge (x2)
MOTM: Sam Surridge
Bold prediction: Wilfried Zaha gets sent off.

Pre-match Media