Match Recap: Nashville Soccer Club Wins Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup by Defeating Austin FC 2-1

• The championship is the first trophy in Nashville SC’s six-year Major League Soccer history and the first major professional sports championship in Tennessee history
• The Boys in Gold qualify for the Concacaf Champions Cup for the second time in club history (2024)
• Major League Soccer Most Valuable player candidate Sam Surridge tallies club-record sixth career U.S. Open Cup goal (all in 2025) on game-winning penalty kick
• Fellow MVP candidate Hany Mukhtar scores fourth career Open Cup goal and first of 2025 tournament
• Goalkeeper Brian Schwake stops penalty to go a perfect 5W-0L-0D in Open Cup play

AUSTIN, Texas (Oct. 1, 2025) – Nashville Soccer Club became the first major professional sports team in Tennessee history to win a championship when it defeated Austin FC 2-1 Wednesday night on the road at Q2 stadium to capture the 110^th edition of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The Boys in Gold won their first trophy in their six-year Major League Soccer history after reaching the Leagues Cup Final in 2023.

MLS Most Valuable Player candidate Hany Mukhtar scored just 17 minutes into the match to put Nashville up 1-0. After Austin knotted the score at one late in the first half, fellow MVP candidate and MLS Golden Boot contender Sam Surridge buried a penalty kick in the 60^th minute for his sixth goal of the tournament and 28^th of the season across all competitions to put the Boys in Gold on top for good 2-1. Goalkeeper Brian Schwake, who started all five of Nashville SC’s 2025 Open Cup matches, made seven saves, including a first half penalty kick to help secure the win.

Celebrate!: To celebrate the first trophy in club history and the first major professional sports championship in Tennessee history, Nashville SC will host a U.S. Open Cup Championship Celebration for fans at GEODIS Park on Sunday, Oct. 5 at 5 p.m. CT. Fans who want to be a part of Music City sports history can RSVP here.

Concacaf bound: By winning the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, Nashville SC qualifies for the prestigious 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup (CCC) taking place between February and May of 2026. The 27-club competition, which debuted in 1962, is made up of clubs that qualify for the tournament through regional cup competitions in North America, Central America, and the Caribbean, along with domestic leagues and Cups in the United States, Canada and Mexico. It will be the Boys in Gold’s second trip to the Champions Cup in three years after qualifying in 2023 by reaching the inaugural Leagues Cup Final and advancing to the CCC’s Round of 16.

Unbeatable: Nashville SC goalkeeper Brian Schwake made his fifth consecutive U.S. Open Cup start for the Boys in Gold, stopping seven shots to remain undefeated (5W-0L-0D) during his first season in Music City. With the victory, Schwake became the first goalkeeper in NSC history to win his first five starts with the club.

Next up: Nashville SC will resume MLS play when it visits CF Montréal at 1:30 p.m. CT on Saturday, Oct. 4 in its penultimate regular season fixture.

Notes:

Nashville SC:

• won the first trophy in club history and the first major professional sports championship in Tennessee history
• qualify for the 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup
• won its club record 21st match across all competitions this season
• is 14W-1L-2D when Sam Surridge scores this season
• improved to 9W-1L-1D all-time in U.S. Open Cup play
• improved to 3W-1L-1D in U.S. Open Cup road matches
• improved to 3W-1L-1D all-time vs. Austin FC (regular season, U.S. Open Cup)

B.J. Callaghan won his first trophy as Nashville SC manager in his first full season with the club

Teal Bunbury became a U.S. Open Cup Champion for the second time (2012 with the New England Revolution)

Mike Jacobs became a U.S. Cup Champion for the third time as an Executive (2015 and ‘17 with Sporting Kansas City)

Jack Maher is tied for the team lead among Nashville SC players in USOC appearances since the club joined MLS with 11 (also, Alex Muyl)

Alex Muyl is tied for the team lead among Nashville SC players in USOC appearances since the club joined MLS with 11 (also, Jack Maher)

Hany Mukhtar

• scored his first 2025 U.S. Open Cup goal, the fourth of his career
• has 17 goals this season across all competitions

Brian Schwake

• started at goalkeeper in all four of Nashville SC’s 2025 USOC matches
• became the first goalkeeper in Nashville SC history to win his first five starts with the club
• is undefeated in goal for Nashville SC (5W-0L-0D)
• made his first penalty kick save as a Boy in Gold

Tate Schmitt became a U.S. Open Cup Champion for the second time (2023 with Houston Dynamo FC)

Jacob Shaffelburg recorded his first career U.S. Open Cup assist on Mukhtar’s 17^th minute goal and his third across all competitions this season

Sam Surridge

• has six goals in three career Open Cup matches (all in 2025) and leads the team in career USOC goals with six
• leads the team with 28 goals across all competitions in 2025

Joe Willis became a U.S. Open Cup Champion for the third time (2013 with D.C. United, 2018 with Houston Dynamo FC)

Walker Zimmerman became a U.S. Open Cup Champion for the second time (2016 with FC Dallas)

Box score:

Nashville SC (5W-0L-0D in U.S. Open Cup) at Austin FC (3W-1L-1D in U.S. Open Cup)

Oct. 1, 2025 – Q2 Stadium

Final score:

NSH: 2

ATX: 1

Scoring summary:

NSH: Hany Mukhtar (A: Jacob Shaffelburg) 17’

ATX: Mytro Uzuni (A: Ilie Sanchez) 45’ +1

NSH: Sam Surridge 60’ (PK)

Discipline:

ATX: Dani Pereira (Caution) 30’

ATX: Ilie Sanchez (Caution) 52’

ATX: Julio Cascante (Caution) 61’

NSH: Jack Maher (Caution) 66’

NSH: Josh Bauer (Caution) 85’

ATX: Owen Wolff (Caution) 90’ +3

NSH: Sam Surridge (Caution) 90’+ 3

NSH: Sam Surridge (Ejection, Second Caution) 90’ + 6

Lineups:

NSH starters: Brian Schwake; Dan Lovitz, Jeisson Palacios (Walker Zimmerman 68’), Jack Maher, Andy Najar (Josh Bauer 68’); Alex Muyl, Patrick Yazbek (Gastón Brugman 80’), Eddi Tagseth, Jacob Shaffelburg (Bryan Acosta 80’), Hany Mukhtar (C) (Teal Bunbury 90’ +5); Sam Surridge

Substitutes: Xavier Valdez, Tyler Boyd

ATX starters: Brad Stuver; Mikkel Desler (Jon Gallagher 85’), Julio Cascante, Brendan Hines-Ike, Guilherme Biro; Dani Pereira, Ilie Sanchez (C) (Jader Obrian 85’), Owen Wolff; Osman Bukari, Diego Rubio (CJ Fodrey 78’), Myrto Uzuni

Substitutes: Stefan Cleveland, Oleksandr Svatok, Besard Sabovic, Nico Dubersarsky

Match officials:

Referee: Tori Penso

AR1: Brooke Mayo

AR2: Kathryn Nesbitt

4TH: Rosendo Mendoza

5TH: Meghan Mullen

VAR: Shawn Tehini

AVAR: Fabio Tovar

Weather: 91 and clear

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