Timeline: Nashville SC's rivalry with Inter Miami

On Saturday night, Nashville SC and Inter Miami CF will face off in a top-of-the-table clash at Geodis Park.

The Coyotes and the Herons are the two best teams in Major League Soccer right now, and have developed a heated rivalry over the last few seasons. But their rivalry extends all the way back to 2020, built up by contrasting styles and seven seasons of frequent meetings in high-stakes matches.

Let's take a quick look back at how this rivalry has played out over the years.

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Pre-2020 – MLS Expansion

• The city of Nashville was awarded an MLS expansion team on December 20, 2017, months before Nashville Soccer Club kicked a ball as a professional club in the USL Championship. Local billionaire John Ingram headed up the expansion bid, along with Minnesota Vikings owners the Wilf Family.
• Miami was awarded an MLS expansion club just over a month later on January 29, 2018, with global soccer superstar and former LA Galaxy midfielder David Beckham given the right to purchase an expansion club at a heavily discounted rate as part of his playing contract, the first Designated Player deal in league history. He was partnered by Miami telecommunications magnates Jorge and José Mas to bring top-flight soccer to Miami for the first time since the Miami Fusion folded in 2001.

2020 season – first meetings

• Nashville SC and Inter Miami met on the field for the first time on August 30, 2020 at Nashville's Nissan Stadium, with fans not allowed in the building due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Aníbal Godoy scored the game's only goal, with Nashville taking three points from their first-ever meeting.

• After a 0-0 draw in Miami on September 6, the two sides met in the first round of the 2020 MLS Cup Playoffs at Nissan Stadium on November 20, 2020. The playoff pool was expanded due to Covid – Nashville, who finished in seventh place, would have qualified under the typical format, while Miami finished in 10th, the last of the expanded playoff spots.
  
  Nashville were dominant in the match, winning 3-0 with goals from Randall Leal, Hany Mukhtar, and Dax McCarty.

2021-2023 – competitive balance

• Nashville and Miami met three times during the 2021 season. The two sides shared a scoreless draw at Nissan Stadium on May 3, 2021, and Miami won for the first time against Nashville in Ft. Lauderdale on August 8, 2021. Nashville won the most lopsided meeting between the two sides in September, winning 5-1 at DRVPNK Stadium with goals from Mukhtar, Leal, Walker Zimmerman, and Alistair Johnston.

• The two teams met twice in the first half of the 2023 season. Nashville won their regular-season meeting 2-1 at the newly opened Geodis Park in May, with Fafá Picault and Lucas MacNaughton establishing the lead before a 93rd-minute consolation goal from Dixon Arroyo.
• Miami scored their most consequential win over Nashville just one week later, eliminating the Coyotes from the US Open Cup with a 2-1 win in Ft. Lauderdale with goals from Franco Negri and Nicolás Stefanelli.

2023-2025 – Lionel Messi dominance

• Inter Miami's dominance in this rivalry truly began in the 2023 Leagues Cup final. With newly-signed Lionel Messi taking over soccer in North America, the Herons took down Nashville in an 11-round penalty shootout at Geodis Park following a thrilling 1-1 draw, in which Messi scored a world-class goal to mark his arrival.

• After the Leagues Cup final, Miami were dominant against Nashville. The two sides met 10 times between Leagues Cup final in August 2023 and the end of the 2025 MLS season. Miami won seven.
• Nashville managed a 0-0 draw in Ft. Lauderdale on August 30, 2023 their first meeting after Leagues Cup, and earned a 2-2 draw on March 7, 2024, the first leg of their Concacaf Champions Cup Round of 16 meeting. Jacob Shaffelburg scored a brace to put Nashville ahead 2-0, before Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez scored two late goals to level the score.

• Miami won the second leg handily in Ft. Lauderdale, cruising to a 3-1 victory to eliminate Nashville from the competition. The Herons won their next four meetings, all in the MLS regular season, including a dominant 5-2 showing at Geodis Park in the final match of the 2025 regular season. In those four games, Miami outscored Nashville 12-5.
• Miami's dominance continued in the 2025 playoffs, drawing Nashville in their opening best-of-three series. Nashville pulled off a rare victory in the second of the three matches, winning 2-1 at Geodis Park, but Miami were otherwise unbothered. They won both matches at their home stadium by a combined 7-1 scoreline, and eventually lifted MLS Cup.

2026 – Nashville get revenge

• Nashville got a bit of revenge on Miami in the Concacaf Champions Cup, although it didn't involve an actual win. The 'Yotes earned a scoreless draw in the first leg of their Round of 16 clash, and after giving up a seventh-minute opener to Lionel Messi, Cristian Espinoza scored a crucial equalizer in the second leg in Miami, eliminating the Herons from the tournament on away goals.

Total history