Nashville SC to Participate in the Round of 16 for the Second Consecutive Year
Nashville Soccer Club in conjunction with U.S. Soccer announced today that the club will take on Inter Miami CF on the road on either May 23 or 24 as part of the Southeast Region in the Round of 16 in the 2023 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Additional information on date, time and broadcast will be shared in the coming days.
Nashville SC was drawn in the fourth slot of the Southeast Region which includes Birmingham Legion of the USL Championship and Charlotte FC of MLS. Should the team advance to the Quarterfinals, the Boys in Gold would travel to face the winner of the Birmingham Legion (USL Championship) vs. Charlotte FC (MLS) match on either June 6 or 7.
Last night, Nashville SC earned a trip to the Round of 16 with a 2-0 victory over FC Dallas at GEODIS Park. Winger Fafà Picault scored the game-winning goal in the 63rd minute, while Alex Muyl registered the insurance goal in the 76th minute as Elliot Panicco recorded his second consecutive shutout of the season in Open Cup play.
Nashville SC has reached the Round of 16 in back-to-back seasons. Last year, the team defeated Louisville City FC of the USL Championship 2-1 on May 25, 2022, after Hany Mukhtar scored the game-winner in the 89th minute on the road.
The Boys in Gold own an all-time record of 3W-1L-2D against Inter Miami CF in MLS regular season and post-season competition. The teams will meet one more time prior to this U.S. Open Cup match, as Nashville SC hosts Miami on May 17 at GEODIS Park. Tickets are available at www.NashvilleSC.com/Tickets.
Their history dates to 2020 when the two expansion sides entered the league as the 24th and 25th teams in Major League Soccer. Nashville’s first ever Audi MLS Cup Playoff victory came in a 3-0 win over Miami on Nov. 20, 2020 at Nissan Stadium. In their last meeting, Nashville earned a dominating 5-1 road victory at DRV PNK Stadium, that included a brace from Hany Mukhtar on Sept. 22, 2021.
On its 108th edition, the Open Cup is the oldest ongoing national soccer competition in the United States and the world’s third-longest continuously run national cup tournament. The historic tournament is conducted on a single-game, knockout basis and open to all professional and amateur teams affiliated with U.S. Soccer.
A full breakdown of the remaining schedule of the tournament is below:
Round of 16:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â May 23-24
Quarterfinals:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â June 6-7
Semifinals:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug. 23
Final:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Sept. 27
Nashville SC returns to MLS competition at 6:30 p.m. CT on Saturday, May 13 when it visits D.C. United in a match that can be watched on MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app and heard on 104.5 The Zone.
Nashville SC joined Major League Soccer on Feb. 29, 2020, in front of the largest attendance ever recorded for a soccer match in the State of Tennessee. In its inaugural MLS season, Nashville SC defeated expectations by becoming the second MLS expansion side to win and advance to the Conference Semifinals in the 2020 Audi MLS Cup Playoffs. Nashville SC returned to the 2021 Audi MLS Cup Playoffs in its sophomore season after becoming just the seventh team in MLS history to go unbeaten at home in a season. Nashville SC inaugurated GEODIS Park, the largest soccer-specific stadium in the United States and Canada, in front of a 30,109-sellout crowd on May 1, 2022. For more information, visit NashvilleSC.com and follow the club at @NashvilleSC on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Spotify.
