Recap: Nashville SC storm into the US Open Cup semifinals with comeback goal-fest against DC United

Nashville SC rocketed past DC United in their US Open Cup quarterfinal match on Wednesday night, erasing an early two-goal deficit to book a berth in the semifinals with a dominant 5-2 victory.

The XI

Nashville SC rolled out an incredibly strong lineup. Head coach BJ Callaghan made just two changes to his side from the weekend, bringing in Gastón Brugman in place of Patrick Yazbek and sticking with goalkeeper Brian Schwake in the Open Cup.

On the pitch

The start of a match was nearly a worst-case scenario for Nashville SC. Gabriel Pirani put the visitors ahead after just five minutes, taking advantage of poor spacing to rope a shot of the crossbar and in. Less than 20 minutes later, David Schnegg got in behind down Nashville's right flank to curl a cross in. With Christian Benteke unmarked at the back post, Jack Maher stretched to clear it and deflected into his own net.

Nashville responded instantly.

Less than two minutes later, Jonny Pérez got on the end of a deflected clearance to volley home and cut the deficit in half. Just after halftime, Sam Surridge tied things up from the penalty spot with his 17th goal in all competitions. And 20 minutes later, the MLS Golden Boot leader scored the winner after a dazzling run from Pérez, tapping home from close range after the winger posterized Schnegg.

With the lead secured, Nashville rolled out the red carpet and kept the party going. Andy Nájar capped off a spectacular performance with an absolute golazo. The Honduran international collected a under-hit clearance from a corner, putting his half-volley on a rope into the bottom corner, leaving goalkeeper Kim Jun-Hong completely frozen.

With the victory firmly in the bag, Walker Zimmerman capped things off with a goal to mark his return from international duty, heading home an inch-perfect cross from Gastón Brugman to make a commanding lead completely unassailable.

Goals

• 5' | DC | Gabriel Pirani
• 24' DC | Jack Maher (OG)
• 26' | NSH | Jonny Pérez
• 53' | NSH | Sam Surridge (PK)
• 71' | NSH | Sam Surridge
• 82' | NSH | Andy Nájar
• 87' | NSH | Walker Zimmerman

The big picture

Nashville SC just keep winning games. After 25 minutes it looked like this might finally be the end of their unbeaten run, but once again the Coyotes found a way to flip the match on its head. They never panicked, found ways to get the ball in space, and were absolutely ruthless in front of goal.

Andy Najar and Jonny Pérez were absolutely spectacular, while Sam Surridge continued his career-best form to blow DC out of the water.

This team is just two wins away from their first-ever trophy, and there isn't a team in MLS who wants to play them right now.

Up next

With the quarterfinal between Philadelphia Union and New York Red Bulls postponed until August 13 due to severe weather, Nashville won't know their semifinal opponent for over a month. If the Union win, they'll host the match at Geodis Park. If the Red Bulls win, they'll play it in New Jersey.

Nashville SC are back on the road in MLS this weekend, traveling to Florida for a juicy matchup against Inter Miami. They'll come back to Music City for a clash with Columbus Crew at Geodis Park next Wednesday night.

Stats

Possession: NSH 58% – 42% DC
Total Passes: NSH 440 – 324 DC
Shots: NSH 18 – 7 DC
Shots on goal: NSH 8 – 2 DC
Penalty kicks: NSH 1 – 0 DC
Goals: NSH 5 – 2 DC
Expected goals: NSH 2.61 – 0.29 DC
Fouls: NSH 12 – 9 DC
Yellow cards: NSH 1 – 1 DC
Red cards: NSH 0 – 0 DC
Announced attendance: 21,238

Highlights

Post-match media