Nashville SC vs. Atlanta United
2026 MLS Regular Season | Matchday 8
Saturday, Apr. 18 | 6:30 p.m. CT
Mercedes-Benz Stadium | Atlanta, GA
Broadcast Details
Watch | Apple TV
Listen | 104.5 The Zone
After a thrilling 1-0 win in Mexico City on Tuesday to advance to the Concacaf Champions Cup semifinals, Nashville SC returns to MLS play Saturday night for a date with Atlanta United. The Boys in Gold sit alone atop the Eastern Conference on 16 points through seven games — three ahead of second-place Chicago, Nashville’s lone loss — and are just two points shy of the Supporters’ Shield lead.
Key Storylines
An internationally renowned core
One of Atlanta’s defining traits over the past decade or so has been its ability to develop youngsters before shipping them to top international markets to become stars. The two best examples are Miguel Almirón, who departed for Newcastle United in 2019, and Thiago Almada, who spent three years in Atlanta before making way to Botafogo in Brazil in 2024 and eventually Atlético Madrid. Both became integral parts of their club and national teams while netting then-league-record transfer sums. But as of the last couple seasons, the Georgia club has also looked to Europe’s top leagues for roster construction.
Since 2024, it has brought back Almirón from Newcastle, Alexey Miranchuk from Atalanta in Italy’s Serie A as well as Emmanuel Latte Lath from Middlesbrough in the EFL Championship. That trio occupies all of Atlanta’s Designated Player spots, handing the team a core with bunches of experience at the top level of world soccer. The team has struggled during their tenure — it sat 14th in the Eastern Conference in 2025 and currently sits 12th — but its stars have done well, with Almirón, Miranchuk and Latte Lath combining for 10 goal contributions in 2026.
The key for Nashville on Saturday, however, is that the rest of Atlanta’s squad has combined for just six goal contributions. When Atlanta’s premier players have space and time to show their quality, they can hurt you, but the team’s offensive threat dulls substantially when they don’t. Slowing down Atlanta’s DP trio is paramount. The Boys in Gold’s stellar defensive record — they’ve conceded just five times in all competitions this year —indicates they’re well prepared for that task. But talent is talent, and a group with as much experience and international pedigree as Almirón, Miranchuk and Latte Lath should not be underestimated no matter their team’s ailments.
Channeling the creativity
Nashville’s midweek win in Mexico City was historic for a whole host of reasons. It became the first MLS side to ever win a competitive match at the Estadio Azteca, advanced to the Champions Cup semifinals for the first time in club history and continued a remarkable start to the season, which has included just one loss in 13 matches. But a perhaps overlooked bit of history was the lineup the Boys in Gold fielded, which did not include star striker Sam Surridge, absent with a hamstring injury.Rather than stunting Nashville’s attack, however, the Boys in Gold continued to play with creative freedom, instead centered around Hany Mukhtar (playing as a false nine), flanked by Cristian Espinoza and youngster Warren Madrigal.
The lack of an out-and-out striker forced Club América to spread out its defense, allowing the likes of Espinoza, Madrigal and Andy Najar to threaten from the flanks as Mukhtar drifted inside. This spacing is exactly what enabled Mukhtar’s eventual winner, with Espinoza dragging two defenders to the right side as the Nashville captain wandered unmarked into the box.
Callaghan has shown a willingness to change lineups and formations to best suit the matchup in front of him. And while Nashville’s best XI undoubtedly includes its English talisman — and the current MLS Golden Boot leader — Tuesday’s win showed that Nashville can still cause problems in attack even with an MLS All-Star sidelined. Last Saturday’s win at Charlotte FC emphasized that, too, courtesy of two wondergoals by its midfielders, as Surridge, Mukhtar and Espinoza rested after the quarterfinal first leg. The Boys in Gold have proven themselves a group filled with difference-makers no matter the lineup or formation they trot out. That abundance of creativity on both the coaching and playing side may well be the difference between escaping a hostile road environment with a win and not.
Series History & What’s Next
Nashville and Atlanta have cultivated quite the rivalry over their shared existence in MLS. The pair of Southern Clubs each own four wins against the other, with five draws sprinkled between, and have scored the same number of goals (20) in that span. Atlanta had the upper hand in 2025 with a 1-1 home draw and 1-0 road win, holding the Boys in Gold without a victory against their rival in a season for the first time since 2022.
Upon the conclusion of Saturday’s match, Nashville returns to GEODIS Park after nearly three weeks away for a rematch with Charlotte FC, scheduled for Saturday, April 25 at 7:30 p.m. CT.
Nashville SC vs. Charlotte FC
U Pass Offer: Saturday, Apr. 25 at GEODIS Park | 7:30 p.m.
