NASHVILLE, TN – On Saturday night, Nashville SC took down Charlotte FC for the second win in the span of two weeks.
Nashville coach BJ Callaghan’s side came out flying inside 15 minutes, consistently pressing Dean Smith’s side putting them on the back foot from the start. Inside those first 15 minutes, Nashville won every ball and every second ball, keeping Charlotte on the back foot and smothering them.
Nashville's game plan
21-year-old attacker Warren Madrigal got the start up top, with Sam Surridge starting the match on the bench while recovering from a hamstring issue that kept him out of the last two matches. Madrigal had a brilliant match, starting with a chance off a corner inside 10 minutes that smashed off the crossbar.
With Ahmed Qasem starting on the left side of midfield, a lot of Nashville's attack flowed through him and Madrigal. The duo's ability to switch in and out of space constantly was very entertaining to watch, and completely unbalance Charlotte's back line. You’d see Qasem come pinch more centrally, allowing Madrigal to hug the touch line, and vice-versa.
This opened up space for Hany Mukhtar to drop into midfield and create a triangle between him, Patrick Yazbek and Matthew Corcoran. Mukhtar obviously played in a more attack-minded role, with Yazbek acting as conductor and Corcoran as more of an anchor.
When Nashville had possession in their half or near the halfway line, Corcoran drop in between the center backs, while Mukthar would drop into midfield to cover that space. As Mukhtar dropped in, Cristian Espinoza came more centrally. This allowed Andy Nájar to make runs down that right-hand side.
Nashville's depth is powering their season
Nashville's depth is a testament to what general manager Mike Jacobs has built and continues to build in this 2026 campaign.
The big question is how much rotation Nashville opt for on Tuesday, if any. , when you’re in a Semifinal of a prestigious competition like Concacaf Champions Cup, that takes priority. Full throttle.
Surridge should get the start, coming in at halftime against Charlotte and promptly bagging a brace to hit the ground running. On top of the Eastern Conference with a game in hand, they have wiggle room to go full steam ahead in Concacaf.
They'll travel to take on the Philadelphia Union on Saturday. This is one of the weakest Philadelphia sides we’ve seen in years, and one of the worst teams in MLS this season. They have just a single win so far this season, coming against a poor CF Montréal side. They're winless at home in MLS play and sit at the bottom of the East. It will be interesting what type of lineup Callaghan unleashes in Philadelphia come Saturday, sandwiched in between two crucial matches against Tigres.
Ben Wright
The main focus has to be Concacaf. We saw in Nashville's away trips to Charlotte FC and Atlanta United during the Quarterfinal series against Club América that Nashville did slightly rotate. In Charlotte, Jack Maher and Josh Bauer got the nod and played the full 90 mintes. That's been the exception this season, with Maxwell Woledzi and Nájar playing 100% and 70% of MLS minutes, respectively.
More than likely, Callaghan will play the strongest possible team tomorrow against Tigres, keeping some starters on the bench in Philadelphia ahead of the away leg on Tuesday in Monterrey.
This 2026 side is the best we’ve ever seen in Nashville. There are starting-quality players coming off the bench consistently, a luxury Nashville haven’t had in the past. So far, the ability to confidently lean on depth players has been a key to Nashville's success.
