Nashville SC - Tigres arrives Tuesday evening with Nashville SC hosting Tigres UANL in Leg 1 of the 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup semifinals. The match kicks off at 8:30 pm ET on FS1 and TUDN, and it puts Nashville one step from a regional final after a run through Atlético Ottawa, Inter Miami CF and Club América.
Callaghan’s Nashville SC
B.J. Callaghan took over Nashville SC in July 2024, and the club has moved quickly under him. Nashville won the 2025 US Open Cup, then pushed into this semifinal by beating Atlético Ottawa 7-0 on aggregate in Round One, eliminating Inter Miami CF in the Round of 16 and then edging Club América 1-0 on aggregate.
Callaghan said, “We're proud to be in the semifinal. We're proud to call it a semifinal,” and added, “We know exactly what it's about... But we don't hide behind the fact that this is another step forward for the club and for this group, and we're proud to be playing in a semifinal.”
Club América and Estadio Azteca
The sharpest marker in that run came against Club América. Nashville’s 1-0 aggregate win made it the first MLS side ever to earn a victory at Estadio Azteca, a result that separated this semifinal appearance from a standard league stretch and showed how far the club had climbed in a short time.
Callaghan said the group has already paused to measure what it has done. “It’s very important that we find moments to pause and reflect on what we're accomplishing, because that gives us confidence,” he said. He also said, “We started the preseason with ambitious goals, and I think when you set these sorts of goals within your team, it's important that you, if you've achieved certain things, celebrate them, and also measure them.”
Tigres in Nashville
Nashville enters the tie sitting atop the Eastern Conference, with the Designated Player trio of Hany Mukhtar, Sam Surridge and Cristian Espinoza still driving the attack. That gives the home side a clear base, but Tigres is the next test and the first leg leaves little room to waste the opening match on setup alone.
Callaghan said the focus snaps back immediately after the acknowledgment. “We refocus right back to our baseline, which is we've got work to do, and go back to our process of preparing for the next opponent to put in the same type of consistent performance over a long season and multiple competitions,” he said. For Nashville, Tuesday night is not a celebration stop; it is the start of the work that decides whether the club keeps moving toward the title it has put itself within reach of.
