Nashville SC's spectacular 2025 season closed on a low note on Saturday night, falling 4-0 to Inter Miami in Game 3 of their Round One MLS Cup Playoff series.
Miami head to FC Cincinnati for the Eastern Conference semifinals. Nashville return home to recover and get ready for the 2026 season, with less than 90 days to go before they kick off their 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup campaign.
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The XI
Nashville head coach BJ Callaghan kept nearly an identical lineup to the side that won 2-1 last weekend in Nashville, with Jeisson Palacios the lone change. The defender trained all week with a slight knock, and missed the squad entirely as a game-time decision. Jack Maher slotted in on the backline in his place.
On the pitch
In the second leg, Nashville did an exceptional job keeping Miami off the board early and denying them space in the middle of the pitch. They did neither of those in Ft. Lauderdale, as Matt Corcoran's back pass took a deflection into the path of Lionel Messi. The 2024 MLS MVP was afforded far too much space by a scrambling Nashville defense, and took full advantage of it with a pinpoint shot to the bottom corner.
Miami capped off a one-sided first half just before the break. A pinged diagonal from Jordi Alba should have been routinely cut out by Walker Zimmerman, but the Nashville captain scuffed his clearance and it fell to Matteo Silvetti. The 19-year-old, starting for the suspended Luis Suárez, picked out Messi with a cut back for an easy and self-inflicted goal.
MESSI BRACE. 🇦🇷
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) November 9, 2025
Alba to Silvetti to Messi. 2-0. // Audi MLS Cup Playoffs pic.twitter.com/oCBsgfcf4a
BJ Callaghan made a triple change at halftime, bringing on Dan Lovitz, Gastón Brugman and Jacob Shaffelburg to give Nashville some much-needed attacking bite. It looked like it had worked instantly – Sam Surridge found put the ball in the net less than 60 seconds into the half, but the goal was called off for the slightest contact on defender Maxi Falcón.
— Ben Wright (@benwright) November 9, 2025
That was Nashville's lone moment of optimism. Despite having more of a foothold in the second half, they couldn't create anything of real note, with Surridge flashing wide on the pair of half-chances he got. Miami weathered the storm well, and compounded Nashville's misery with a late brace from Tadeo Allende to turn the match into a route, ending a promising season from Nashville on a painfully low note.
Perfect pass, brilliant finish. 😍
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) November 9, 2025
Messi links up with Allende to make it FOUR. // Audi MLS Cup Playoffs pic.twitter.com/zpDOJmbbX9
Goals
- 10' | MIA | Lionel Messi
- 39' | MIA | Lionel Messi (Matteo Silvetti)
- 73' | MIA | Tadeo Allende (Jordi Alba, Lionel Messi)
- 76' | MIA | Tadeo Allende (Lionel Messi)
The big picture
It was a deflating result for Nashville, who went into the match on a high after winning 2-1 at home last week. Seeing the season fizzle out with such a flat and one-sided performance was painful for fans and players alike.
It's important not to lose sight of what a spectacular season this was for the Boys In Gold, though. In the first full year under Callaghan, a year the club viewed as the first phase of a lengthier rebuild, they showed real, tangible progress. They played beautiful and effective soccer. They went toe to toe with some of the best teams in MLS. They got the city of Nashville behind them once again. And they lifted the first trophy in club history.
There will be plenty of time for reflection and analysis this offseason, but despite the ending, 2025 was a major step forward for the club, and leaves them in great shape for 2026.
Up next
Nashville will immediately move into offseason mode. 13 players on the roster are either out of contract or in option years. Despite Nashville's success in 2025, this has been the first year of what was viewed as a multi-year squad overhaul. Mike Jacobs made sweeping changes to the roster last winter, and there could be similar movement this window as Nashville look to build a squad that can compete at the top of the Eastern Conference for a full season.
Stats
Possession: MIA 50% – 50% NSH
Total Passes: MIA 373 – 373 NSH
Shots: MIA 11 – 11 NSH
Shots on goal: MIA 5 – 4 NSH
Penalty kicks: MIA 0 – 0 NSH
Goals: MIA 4 – 0 NSH
Expected goals: MIA 2.12 – 0.48 NSH
Fouls: MIA 16 – 21 NSH
Yellow cards: MIA 4 – 4 NSH
Red cards: MIA 0 – 0 NSH
Announced attendance: 19,049
