Match Preview: Nashville SC eyes second of three Leagues Cup Phase One matches at home against Atlético de San Luis

Nashville SC vs. Atlético de San Luis 

2026 Leagues Cup | Phase One 

Sunday, August 9 | 7:00 p.m. CT 

GEODIS Park | Nashville, TN

Broadcast Details

Watch | Apple TV 

Nashville SC continues its 2026 Leagues Cup journey Sunday night at GEODIS Park against Liga MX side Atlético de San Luis, looking to bounce back from a 1-0 defeat in its opener to Club León on Wednesday evening. The Boys in Gold are still in with a shot at advancing to the knockout round should they win in normal time, a stage they have not participated in since reaching the tournament final in 2023.

Key Storylines

Running up the reps 

Rotation was the story of Nashville’s Leagues Cup opener; not a single starter from last Saturday’s draw with D.C. United resumed their place in the initial XI against Club León on Wednesday. And though the result did not end in their favor, the Boys in Gold looked more than competitive with the abundance of new faces, many of whom staked a claim for greater contributions as the season progresses.

Elias Saad and Charles-Emile Brunet — each making their inaugural start for the club — shone particularly bright. Saad caused all sorts of issues with his close control, interchanging superbly with Reed Baker-Whiting on the left flank to provide some of the most dangerous attacks Nashville had all game. Brunet, meanwhile, impressed with his astute defensive positioning and ability to cycle the ball to his teammates, completing the most passes of any non-defender on the field. He also proved a valuable header of the ball and apt dispossessor on the edge of his team’s box, out-muscling León’s attackers much bulkier and taller than him on several occasions. 

Thomas Williams, making his first start since February, put in a solid shift at the heart of defense as well. The young American was superb on the left side of Nashville’s back line, displaying a speed in recovery and calmness in possession that more than once helped his team out of tricky situations. After goalkeeper Xavier Valdez was rounded on a breakaway — an almost certain goal — Williams produced the moment of the night with a jaw-dropping goal-line clearance, batting the ball into safety with a sliding left foot.

It’s immensely impressive that Nashville can, even while entirely rotated, out-pass and out-possess a León team carrying 10 of its starters over from its previous Liga MX match. It’s similarly encouraging how much Saad, Brunet and Williams could stand out — Brunet was the highest-rated player on the field, per FotMob — with so much responsibility thrust upon them. Should similar players be handed another opportunity Sunday, their performance against León says an impact on the scoresheet or a point-scoring result may not be far behind. At the very least, it’s increased reps for a team that through injury and schedule congestion needs as many able bodies as it can get. 

Time to heal 

Speaking of — Nashville’s 2026 season has, for all its successes, been a grueling one.  

The timing of Leagues Cup Phase One, jammed in seven days between marquee league matches — hasn’t helped with a campaign that has regularly featured double matchweeks and quick turnarounds. But, for all the ways its timing isn’t ideal, it has also offered a very welcome opportunity to cycle players back from injury, hand starts to those who may not start usually and manage minutes without affecting their MLS aspirations. In other words, it has helped the squad stay sharp while also letting it rest. 

A run to the Concacaf Champions Cup semifinals in the spring, a league-leading MLS campaign and four All-Star selections, not to mention Leagues Cup, has asked Nashville’s squad to accumulate an inordinate number of miles in their legs by this point in the season. Six players have logged 1,000 minutes or more in league play alone and a further six have tallied more than 800 — numbers that include extended injury spells for many starters. Patrick Yazbek, at 657 minutes, would be much higher on that list if he hadn’t been out since April. 

Beyond the breakthroughs of Saad, Williams and Brunet and the team’s ability to stay competitive regardless, Nashville’s heavy rotation presents an invaluable upside. For all the players who were handed opportunities on Wednesday, just as many were afforded a rare chance to recuperate or regain match fitness. Head coach B.J. Callaghan didn’t make a sub until the 62nd minute and refrained from playing Jeisson Palacios, Maxwell Woledzi, Brian Schwake and Matthew Corcoran entirely, four of his most-used players since the summer break. Warren Madrigal and Baker-Whiting, neither of whom have started since the break, also made way before full-time. Hany Mukhtar didn’t dress.

That’s not to say Nashville won’t field its top-level players against San Luis — Callaghan did against León and they nearly leveled the score — but he’s shown that getting his squad healthy is as great a priority as anything else. Being able to cycle players in and out and manage minutes at this stage of the season is not a luxury most teams have. It is, however, one Nashville needs and is capitalizing on, and it should be better equipped for the rest of the season by doing so. 

Series History & What’s Next

Sunday’s meeting will be the first-ever between Nashville and San Luis, and the sixth time in 2026 the Boys in Gold will play a team from Mexico. San Luis lost a 4-2 thriller at Inter Miami in its Leagues Cup opener, meaning both teams are hungry for a win as they hope to propel themselves into the quarterfinals. 

Nashville will have three days to rest upon the conclusion of Sunday’s match before returning to GEODIS Park for its final Phase One game against Monterrey on Wednesday, August 12 at 7:30 p.m. CT.