Nashville SC vs. FC Dallas
2026 MLS Regular Season | Matchday 2
Saturday, Feb. 28 | 7:30 p.m. CT
Toyota Stadium | Frisco, TX
Broadcast Details
Watch | Apple TV
Listen | 104.5 The Zone
Nashville SC concludes its stretch of four games in 11 days with its first MLS road trip of the 2026 season on Saturday evening at FC Dallas. The Boys in Gold look to extend their early season blitz in Texas, sitting atop the Eastern Conference standings after last weekend’s 4-1 opening-day win and a 7-0 aggregate triumph against Atlético Ottawa in the Concacaf Champions Cup.
Key Storylines
A record-breaking start
We may be just three games into the 2026 season, but Nashville has already delivered plenty of memorable moments and broke plenty of records. The Boys in Gold are 3-0 to start a campaign for the first time in club history, sit atop the Eastern Conference standings on goal difference and have netted a club-record 11 goals so far, far surpassing the record they set in 2023 (seven). Nashville is flying, playing with a freedom and attacking verve that in equal parts entertains fans and threatens opponents.
Key to Nashville’s stellar start has been a varied and well-rounded offensive arsenal. Eight players have scored in the team’s opening three games and a further four have assisted, with standout performances from the likes of 21-year-old Warren Madrigal, 24-year-old Woobens Pacius and 2025 MLS All-Star Sam Surridge leading the way.
A trip to Texas isn’t just an opportunity for points for the Boys in Gold. It’s also an opportunity to build on a spellbinding start and send a clear message to the rest of the league that this Nashville team is one to be feared.
A new defensive talisman
Maxwell Woledzi was one of Nashville’s standout signings from the winter transfer window, arriving in Music City from the Norwegian Eliteserien as perhaps the league’s best defender. The 24-year-old Ghanaian is a man-mountain with an artisan’s touch — a colossus at the back with a remarkable ability to progress the ball forward and dribble through the opposition’s press.
Woledzi was phenomenal in Nashville’s opener, slotting into the center of defense seamlessly alongside 2025 breakout star Jeisson Palacios. The pair’s athleticism, speed and vision allowed Nashville to play on the front foot the whole game against New England while shutting things down at the back. He was energetic with his vocal leadership and eager to celebrate with his teammates, cementing him as an early fan-favorite at GEODIS Park and a valuable member of this surging Nashville group.
A start on Saturday would just be Woledzi’s second for the Boys in Gold, but he acted like he’s been part of the team for years with his performance and attitude last weekend. That’s an encouraging sign for the future of Nashville’s defense in 2026, as well as its chances of stopping a potent Dallas attack that netted three times in its opener.
Marking Musa
Dallas has had its fair share of prolific strikers in recent years, ushering U.S. Men’s National Team regular Jesús Ferreira and 2021 MLS Young Player of the Year Ricardo Pepi to success in recent years before they moved onto other clubs. The Texan team’s latest star forward, Petar Musa, has been just as effective as both the strikers preceding him, netting 16 and 18 goals in the 2024 and 2025 MLS seasons, respectively.
The 27-year-old Croatian started 2026 on a heater as well, grabbing a brace in his team’s opening-day win against Toronto FC last weekend. Woledzi, Palacios and the rest of Nashville’s back line will need to be at their best to slow down Dallas’ Designated Player and ensure they can return to Tennessee with a victory.
Series History + What's Next
The Boys in Gold hold a considerable leg-up in the all-time series, which sits 5-2-1 in their favor in all competitions. Nashville has outscored Dallas 8-1 in the teams’ last three matches, the most recent a 2-1 win in Frisco in June 2023.
Nashville enjoys a welcome week of rest before returning home to GEODIS Park on Saturday, March 7 for a date with Minnesota United, set for 7:30 p.m. CT.
