- The Boys in Gold earn all three possible points with their victory
- Cristian Espinoza bags first-half brace in return to lineup from injury
- Defender Reed Baker-Whiting (goal) and attacker Elias Saad (assist) register first career NSC goal contributions
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Aug. 9, 2026) – Nashville Soccer Club continued Phase One of Leagues Cup 2026 by defeating Atlético de San Luis 4-1 Sunday night at GEODIS Park. In his return to the lineup from injury, Cristian Espinoza netted a first-half brace while serving as team captain for the first time. Sam Surridge and Reed Baker-Whiting also scored for the Boys in Gold and Elias Saad registered his first Nashville SC assist.
Where it stands: The Boys in Gold have three points after two of three Leagues Cup Phase One matches. Teams are awarded three points for a regulation win, two points for a shootout win and one point for a shootout loss with the top four teams from each league advancing to the Quarterfinal Round. (Leagues Cup Standings)
Instant impact: Cristian Espinoza, back in action for the first time since May 23 after recovering from a lower body injury, netted his first Nashville SC brace with a pair of first-half goals. Espinoza leads the Boys in Gold in goal contributions this season with six goals and 10 assists across all competitions (MLS, Concacaf Champions Cup, Leagues Cup).
Home cooking: With its win Sunday night, Nashville SC improved to 10W-2L-3D at GEODIS Park in 2026 across all competitions while outscoring opponents 34-12.
A couple of firsts: Defender Reed Baker-Whiting (goal) and attacker Elias Saad (assist), both in their first season with the Boys in Gold, recorded their first career NSC goal contributions.
Next up: Nashville SC will conclude Phase One of Leagues Cup 2026 when it faces CF Monterrey at GEODIS Park on Wednesday, Aug. 12 at 7 p.m. CT.
Notes:
Nashville SC:
- is 10W-2L-3D at GEODIS Park in 2026 across all competitions (MLS, Concacaf Champions Cup, Leagues Cup)
- has a plus-22 goal differential at GEODIS Park in 2026 across all competitions (MLS, Concacaf Champions Cup, Leagues Cup)
- is unbeaten in 23 of 28 matches this season across all competitions this season (MLS, Concacaf Champions Cup, Leagues Cup)
- is 16W-5L-7D across all competitions this season (MLS, Concacaf Champions Cup, Leagues Cup)
- is outscoring opponents 48-19 in all competitions this season (MLS, Concacaf Champions Cup, Leagues Cup)
- is 4W-3L-4D all-time in the Leagues Cup Tournament
- is 3W-5L-3D all-time against LIGA MX teams across all competitions (Concacaf Champions Cup, Leagues Cup)
Reed Baker-Whiting recorded his first career Nashville SC goal and goal contribution
Famara Camara made his Nashville SC debut as a substitute in the 71st minute
Cristian Espinoza
- recorded his first career Nashville SC brace (fifth and sixth goals this season across all competitions) after returning to the lineup from injury for the first time since the World Cup break
- leads the team this season with 16 goal contributions
- served as team captain for the first time
Elias Saad recorded his first career Nashville SC assist and goal contribution
Brian Schwake made three saves
Sam Surridge scored his 13th goal this season across all competitions
Eddi Tagseth recorded his second assist this season across all competitions
Box score:
Nashville SC (1W-1L-0D in Leagues Cup, three points) vs. Atlético de San Luis (0W-2L-0D in Leagues Cup, zero points)
Aug. 9, 2026 – GEODIS Park
Final score:
NSH: 4
ASL: 1
Scoring Summary:
ASL: Rafael Llorente (A: Eduardo Águila) 18’
NSH: Cristian Espinoza (A: Elias Saad) 36’
NSH: Sam Surridge (A: Eddi Tagseth) 38’
NSH: Cristian Espinoza 45’ + 7
NSH: Reed Baker-Whiting 88’
Discipline:
ASL: Román Torres (Caution) 13’
ASL: Eduardo Águila (Caution) 45’ + 6
NSH: Alex Muyl (Caution) 61’
NSH: Dan Lovitz (Caution) 80’
Lineups:
NSH starters: Brian Schwake; Dan Lovitz, Maxwell Woledzi, Jeisson Palacios, Andy Najar (Reed Baker-Whiting 71’); Matthew Corcoran, Alex Muyl (Famara Camara 71’), Eddi Tagseth (Bryan Acosta 89’); Cristian Espinoza (C) (Hany Mukhtar 46’), Elias Saad (Shak Mohammed 59’), Sam Surridge
Substitutes: Xavier Valdez, Joe Willis, Jack Maher, Josh Bauer, Jordan Knight, Ahmed Qasem, Charles-Emile Brunet
ASL starters: Andrés Sánchez; Román Torres (Johan Caicedo 59’), Aldo Cruz, Benjamín Galindo (Leonardo Flores 70’), Eduardo Águila; Sebastien Salles-Lamonge (C) (Sebastián Pérez Bouquet 77’), Miguel García, Oscar Macías; David Rodríguez (Benjamín Galdames 70’), Rafael Llorente, Felipe Mora (Anderson Duarte 70’)
Substitutes: César López, Manuel Lajud, Luis Nájera, Lucas Esteves, Santiago Muñóz, Yoshimar Molina, Ángel Reyes
Match officials:
Referee: Carly Melissa Shaw-Maclaren
AR1: Stefan Tanaka-Freundt
AR2: Felisha Mariscal
4TH: Rosendo Mendoza
Weather: 89 degrees and partly cloudy
NEXT HOME MATCH
Nashville SC vs CF Monterrey
Wednesday, Aug. 12 at GEODIS Park | 7 p.m.
Leagues Cup 2026, Phase One
