Nashville SC vs. Orlando City SC
2026 MLS Regular Season | Matchday 18
Saturday, July 25 | 6:30 p.m. CT
Inter.co Stadium | Orlando, FL
Broadcast Details
Watch | Apple TV
Listen | 104.5 The Zone
Fresh off a pair of 1-0 wins at home, Nashville SC hits the road for the first time since May for a clash at historic rival Orlando City SC. The Boys in Gold (39 points) sit first in both the Eastern Conference and Supporters’ Shield tables by five points, owning the league’s best goal difference, and seek a season sweep of the Florida club for the first time in their history.
Key Storylines
Potential for chaos
Orlando’s season, to put it mildly, has been a bit topsy-turvy.
A year after finishing six points back of the East’s top four, the Lions lost five of their first six games in 2026 (including a 5-0 loss at Nashville) by a combined 22-3, accumulating two red cards on the way. Since then, however, Orlando has emerged as one of the league’s most lethal offensive units and a surprise spoiler for teams better than them on paper.
In the span of six games this spring, Orlando rattled off four wins in which they scored four goals, with tight losses to CF Montréal and D.C. United sprinkled between. Many of these high-octane victories came against the league’s best teams, including a 4-1 demolition of Charlotte and 4-3 win in stoppage time in the U.S. Open Cup against New England after equalizing three times. The pick of the bunch was a road stunner against Inter Miami, in which the Lions overcame a 3-0 deficit to win 4-3 via a Martin Ojeda hat trick and 93rd-minute goal from Tyrese Spicer. Orlando has shown no sign of quelling its offensive firepower after returning from the summer break, either, demolishing Supporters’ Shield contender San Jose 4-0 on the road on Wednesday.
Make no bones about it: this is not the same team the Boys in Gold danced around in March. Even with their slow start, the Lions have scored the joint-fifth most goals in the East ahead of Saturday’s kickoff, and only six fewer than Nashville. Brian Schwake, Maxwell Woledzi, Jeisson Palacios and the rest of Nashville’s league-leading defense will have to be vigilant to avoid a similar upset to those suffered by Charlotte, New England and Miami.
A new face of the attack
No two clubs in MLS made more waves this offseason than Chicago and Orlando. While other teams quietly reinforced their ranks, the two Eastern Conference foes opted for statement signings, bringing longtime European aces Robert Lewandowski and Antoine Griezmann, respectively, stateside.
While Lewandowski’s debut ended in a 3-2 defeat to Miami, Griezmann’s couldn’t have gone much better. The Frenchman’s creativity, work rate and ability to get up and down the field were on full display Wednesday as Orlando routed San Jose. Griezmann created the most chances and took the most touches of anyone on his team, scoring his first MLS goal shortly after halftime. Even at 35 years old, the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner possessed all the on-ball quality and off-ball stamina that made him such a feared assignment throughout his near two decades at the top of the European game. And with Golden Boot hopeful Ojeda out through injury, Griezmann’s influence in Orlando’s offense only looks set to grow.
Nashville, thus, faces a doubly tough task on Saturday: first and foremost, to handle a player of Griezmann’s individual quality, but also to handle a road environment of Inter.co Stadium’s venom, where Griezmann will play his first match. The Boys in Gold have passed their previous tests against elite playmakers this season, holding Miami’s Lionel Messi and LAFC’s Son Heung-Min to a combined one goal in three games. Another test beckons.
Series History & What’s Next
Nashville and Orlando have enjoyed a fiercely competitive rivalry throughout their time in MLS. The Florida club holds an edge in the all-time series with five wins to Nashville’s four, plus four draws, with a goals tally of 23-21 in the Boys in Gold’s favor. Hany Mukhtar is the series’ all-time scorer and playmaker, with seven goals and seven assists to his name.
Should Nashville win on Saturday, it would need just one point from its next match — a road trip to D.C. United on August 1 — to match the best start to a season in league history.
NEXT HOME MATCH
Nashville SC vs Club León
Wednesday, Aug. 5 at GEODIS Park | 7:30 p.m.
Leagues Cup 2026, Phase One
