Welcome back to the Champions Cup, Nashville SC.
After a long 101-day offseason, the Boys in Gold shook off the rust Tuesday evening in frigid Hamilton, Ontario, taking on reigning Canadian Premier League champions Atlético Ottawa in the first round of the Concacaf Champions Cup. Nashville, making its second-ever appearance in the competition and first since 2024, created the bulk of the chances and was rarely threatened, converting Woobens Pacius’ first goal for the club and a stoppage-time finish from Sam Surridge into a 2-0 win ahead of next week’s second leg.
Head coach B.J. Callaghan opted for a lineup full of fresh faces on Tuesday, handing inaugural starts to defenders Thomas Williams and Jordan Knight as well as forwards Pacius and Warren Madrigal. Ahmed Qasem, Bryan Acosta, Matthew Corcoran and Brian Schwake also made their Champions Cup debuts Tuesday, with only Josh Bauer, Jack Maher and Alex Muyl having played in the competition before.
The abundance of newness, which also included Maher as a first-time captain, showed its rust early on but did not hamper Nashville’s hopes of leaving Ontario with a win. An effective press in midfield — particularly by Corcoran — kept Ottawa pinned back for the majority of the first half, allowing Nashville to play on the front foot and take its time in attack.
Madrigal, Pacius and Muyl all came close to scoring in the first half — with few meaningful Ottawa chances to speak of — but both teams entered the locker room searching for their opening goal.
Nashville came out of the blocks in the second half with the urgency to grab one. Qasem nearly poked in a Madrigal cross within 60 seconds of the restart and a Bauer half-volley off a rebound sailed inches wide a few minutes later. While Nashville’s pressure remained strong, so did its opponents defense, doing just enough to keep the Boys in Gold at bay.
The injection of Patrick Yazbek, Andy Najar and new Designated Player Cristian Espinoza in the 63rd minute boosted Nashville’s attack further, refreshing legs in the midfield and adding MLS All-Star-caliber creativity on the right flank. And within three minutes, the Boys in Gold found their breakthrough.
Corcoran was the architect, receiving the ball just outside the 18-yard box with his right foot before deftly laying it off to Pacius with his left. The Haitian international, who spent 2025 on loan at the USL’s Tampa Bay Rowdies, cut in past his defender and unleashed a shot with his right foot, freezing the Ottawa goalkeeper and putting his team up 1-0.
Pacius soon made way for 2022 MLS MVP Hany Mukhtar, as did Madrigal, for 2025 Golden Boot Runner-up Surridge. Ottawa came close to equalizing in the 89th minute if not for a heroic goal-line clearance from Bauer, but it was the Boys in Gold who made Ottawa pay instead deep into stoppage time. A mazy run from Mukhtar opened up space for Espinoza, whose inch-perfect cross allowed Surridge to coolly slot home and secure the 2-0 win.
The Boys in Gold return to the pitch Saturday at GEODIS Park for their MLS regular-season opener against the New England Revolution at 7:30 p.m CT, with the second leg against Ottawa set for Tuesday, Feb. 24 at 7 p.m CT.
Nashville SC vs Atlético Ottawa
Tuesday, Feb. 24 at GEODIS Park | 7 p.m.
Round One, Leg Two of the 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup (CCC).
