Preview: Nashville SC vs Los Angeles FC

Nashville SC have just two matches remaining before the lengthy World Cup break. The first match left on the docket is a marquee East vs West clash against juggernauts Los Angeles FC.

Here's everything you need to know before tonight's match.

Match info

Teams: Nashville SC vs Los Angeles FC
Referees: Rubiel Vazquez (Ref), Corey Rockwell (AR1), Jeffrey Swartzel (AR2), Gerald Flores (4th), Daniel Radford (VAR), Jonathan Johnson (AVAR)
Odds: NSH (+105), Draw (+290), LAFC (+220)
Date: Sunday, May 17, 2026
Time: 7:00 pm CT, Geodis Park, Nashville, Tennessee, United States
TV: Apple TV
Apple TV Commentary: Tony Husband & Ross Smith (English), Alejandro Figueredo & Tony Cherchi (Spanish)
Radio: 104.5 The Zone
Radio Commentary (104.5): Lucas Panzica
Forecast: 88°/67°. 77° at kickoff. Clear. 11 mph winds. 0% chance of rain. 58% humidity.

Head-to-head

Availability report

Published Saturday at approximately 4pm CT

Los Angeles FC

The numbers

Los Angeles FC snapshot

Los Angeles FC and Nashville SC were the only two MLS teams to reach the Concacaf Champions Cup semifinals. This has led both teams to play more matches than any others in the league at this stage.

LAFC are feeling the effects of the Concacaf run more severely, with a 6W-3D-4L league record good for fifth in the Western Conference. More worrying for the Black and Gold is that the team seems to be in freefall, losing their last three matches across all competitions by a combined score of 10-2.

Head coach Marc Dos Santos is in his first year in the role, after serving as an assistant at the club for four years under Steve Cherundolo. He was recently vocal about his dissatisfaction with the schedule congestion, stating, "The schedule is a scandal."

LAFC started the season with an 11-match unbeaten run in all competitions. They did not concede a single MLS goal in over 570 minutes of play, breaking the league's longest shutout record. Since then, they have only managed two wins, three draws and five losses.

The Black and Gold attack is led by one of the biggest superstars in world soccer, Heung-Min Son. Alongside the South Korean is Dénis Bouanga, a two-time MLS MVP finalist and 2023 Golden Boot winner. The dynamic duos are among the most dangerous in league history, combining for 17 goal contributions already. Though Son has yet to score an MLS goal this season, he leads the team with eight assists.

Nashville fans will at least see two familiar faces dressed in black on Sunday as wingers Tyler Boyd and Jacob Shaffelburg joined LAFC in the winter. Neither is a full-time starter for the California club, but they have seen an increase in minutes recently. Shaffelburg has two assists, while Boyd has one goal thus far.

LAFC have been missing what made them great at the start of the season: defensive stability. As matches piled up and some rotation was done, mistakes became more common. World Cup-winning goalkeeper Hugo Lloris continues to be the starter for LAFC at the age of 39.

Right-back Sergi Palencia is out with an injury, meaning that Ryan Raposo is the likely starter in the position. The Black and Gold right-back is often used as more of a wing-back, while the left-back, often Eddie Segura, plays a more defensive role. This allows Bounga to exploit the left side in transition.

Aside from the dynamic duo and the former Nashville players, LAFC have multiple young talents in attack. Leading that list is 20-year-old Venezuelan winger David Martínez, who's amongst the most exciting prospects in MLS. Martínez already has eight goals this season in all competitions.

Predicted XI

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Nashville SC

The numbers

Nashville SC snapshot

After a disappointing 2-2 draw to DC United, Nashville SC bounced back with an emphatic 3-0 win at the New England Revolution. With that result, the Boys in Gold maintained their spot at the top of the Eastern Conference and continued their push for the Supporters' Shield.

It wasn't all sunshine in New England as defender Andy Nájar went down with an injury in the second half. The details and severity of the injury are still unknown. Nájar joins stars Eddi Tagseth, Patrick Yazbek, and Sam Surridge in the injury column for Nashville SC.

With Nájar out, head coach BJ Callaghan has usually opted for Reed Baker-Whiting to switch to the right. This allows for MLS veteran Dan Lovitz to start on the left.

The question for Nashville remains: how far can their depth take them? Bryan Acosta had a redeeming performance in New England, scoring a brace and showcasing his quality on both sides of the ball. Next to him in midfield will likely be rising youngster Matt Corcoran, who has been in good form.

To back up the two midfielders, Charles-Émile Brunet has stepped up when needed and shown some positive signs. In defense, the ever-reliable Josh Bauer might be asked to play more minutes.

The key to Nashville's success remains with the two available DP players, Cristian Espinoza and Hany Mukhtar. The Argentine provided two assists against the Revolution and played one of his best games in a Nashville shirt. While the German didn't have his best game in New England, he remains in good form and leads the team on and off the ball.

Alongside the DPs is Warren Madrigal, who has three goals in as many halves of soccer. If Nashville can put an already-exhausted LAFC defense under pressure to start the match, an early goal seems like a real possibility.

Predicted XI

Staff predictions

Ben Wright

Score: NSH 3-1 LAFC
Scorers: Hany Mukhtar (x2), Warren Madrigal
MOTM: Hany Mukhtar
Bold prediction: Nashville score within the first five minutes and never slow down

Ronan Briscoe

Score: NSH 3-0 LAFC
Scorers: Hany Mukhtar, Cristian Espinoza, Ahmed Qasem
MOTM: Matt Corcoran
Bold prediction: Nashville out-shoots LAFC by a factor of three to one

Valair Shabilla

Score: NSH 1-1 LAFC
Scorers: Ahmed Qasem
MOTM: Ahmed Qasem
Bold prediction: The two teams will have an xG of less than 2.0 combined

Pre-match Media