Nashville SC finished off the Florida portion of their preseason training camp with a 1-0 win over the Columbus Crew, courtesy of a goal from Josh Bauer.
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The XI
Ahead of their return to Nashville, head coach BJ Callaghan rotated his squad. With a friendly on Saturday in Nashville before Tuesday's Concacaf Champions Cup opener in Ontario, it makes sense to manage minutes for some of the heavy hitters.
Nashville SC Starting XI vs Columbus Crew Schwake; Bauer, Williams, Maher, Knight; Acosta, Corcoran; Qasem, Muyl; Madrigal, Palacios
— SixOneFive Soccer (@sixonefivesoccer.com) 2026-02-11T16:02:17.546Z
Charles-Émile Brunet came on at halftime for Ahmed Qasem, and played as a No. 8 in a 4-3-3 shape. He finished out the game, with Nashville's strongest lineup rotating in around the 75th minute.
On the pitch
Josh Bauer, who played as a left back, scored the game's only goal, heading in a free kick from Matt Corcoran. Bauer scored four goals in all competitions last season, and while he's set to play primarily as a fullback in 2026, he brings a center back-level threat from set pieces. He'll be a valuable asset this season.
Without any information from the Crew's side, there's no way of telling the quality of the side Nashville were playing. The Crew are also in a period of transition, after Wilfried Nancy left the club and Henrik Rydström took over the managerial job. But they're still a high-quality team, with some of the most dangerous attackers in MLS.
The fact that Nashville kept a clean sheet is a good sign.
Takeaways
Charles-Émile Brunet
Although it hasn't been officially announced, Charles-Émile Brunet has signed a contract with Nashville and is set to play first-team minutes in 2026. Drafted with the 80th-overall pick in the 2026 SuperDraft, it's a testament to Brunet that he's made such an impact in preseason. It's rarer and rarer to see SuperDraft picks make an instant impact in MLS, and even less so for those selected outside of the Top 10.
Callaghan was very complimentary of Brunet after the match.
"Charles came at halftime, and the shape that we were playing was a 4-3-3, so he was playing one of the side guys in the three, which then with the ball put him into a little bit more of an advanced role," said Callaghan. "I thought he showed really well. I think he's got a good ability to face forward and find bigger passes. He's comfortable playing in tight spaces, but also has – just as importantly – showed that he can defend without the ball and close players down and win his duels."
Brian Schwake
Goalkeeper Brian Schwake again got the nod in net. While Callaghan still hasn't publicly made his pick for the No. 1 spot, it's telling that Schwake has started all four of Nashville's preseason games, and got the full 90 minutes against the Crew.
"I would say it's still pretty much an open competition here," said Callaghan. "We had one group today play extended minutes. So he played extended minutes as well. And then we'll kind of regroup and put a team back out for Lexington."
It would be a shock to see anyone but Schwake start Nashville's season opener at this point.
Rotation incoming
Nashville will play three games over the next seven days, starting with Saturday's friendly against Lexington at Geodis Park (details on whether that will be open to any portion of the public are still incoming).
Callaghan said to expect rotation early in the season as they weather a busy stretch between Concacaf and MLS play.
"I think right now the squad readiness is that we're moving exactly in the right direction that we have had planned," he said. "And I would say between the two legs of Ottawa and the first two matches of the MLS, we're going to count on everybody.
"I think we've talked about getting more depth in the squad, getting more competition in the group. This preseason has shown that that's what we've been able to do. We're going to call on a lot of players over the month of February."
Up next
Nashville will head back home to round out their preseason, taking on Lexington SC in their final friendly match on Saturday, February 14 at Geodis Park. They kick off their 2026 campaign in earnest on Tuesday, February 17, facing off against Atlético Ottawa in the Concacaf Champions Cup.
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