Two games, seven goals, two wins. On to the Round of 16.
Nashville SC dominated its Tuesday showpiece against Atlético Ottawa on a chilly evening at GEODIS Park, building on its 2-0 aggregate advantage from the first leg with a calm 5-0 win in the second, securing its place in the Concacaf Champions Cup last 16. Alex Muyl, Jordan Knight, Woobens Pacius, Jack Maher and Ahmed Qasem each netted a goal in the win, helping Nashville to its first-ever 3-0 start to a season and highest-scoring opening three games in club history.
Although he didn’t score himself, Nashville’s greatest attacking threat Tuesday night was defensive midfielder Matthew Corcoran, whose incisive passing ability created both of his team’s goals. The Dallas nativemade it two goal contributions in two career Champions Cup games, continuing to repay head coach B.J. Callaghan’s faith in the young American.
Muyl, playing in his club-record sixth Champions Cup match, slotted home first to put Nashville ahead 1-0 on the night — and 3-0 up on aggregate — in the 21st minute. The veteran midfielder poked home a Pacius header that bounced off the post after a peach of a cross from Corcoran on the touchline for his second career goal in the competition. Corcoran then helped double his team’s advantage with an even more absurd feed in the 36th minute, curling a ball over the entire Ottawa defense to find an on-rushing Knight for his first goal in Gold.
Pacius pounced on a deflected Qasem shot in the center of the box in the 55th minute to make it 3-0 Nashville — his second goal in two starts with the club — and, if it wasn’t already, put the game firmly to rest. Qasem added his own in the 83rd minute as well, sitting the Ottawa goalkeeper down before slotting it into the far corner to balloon Nashville’s advantage to 5-0.
In comparison to last week’s lineup full of club first-timer starters, full back Reed Baker-Whiting was Nashville’s lone debutant in the initial XI this time round. The 20-year-old looked right at home on the left side of defense, linking up well with Muyl in midfield and Qasem in attack. The American was particularly effective under pressure, using his close-control ability to wriggle away from defenders and find a man in open space, earning a secondary assist on Knight’s goal for the pass he sent to Corcoran under an Ottawa triple-team.
Nashville’s defensive unit as a whole was impressive Tuesday night, regularly swatting away attempted long balls and keeping Ottawa’s attackers pinned well away from the home goal. Much like the first leg, goalkeeper Brian Schwake was rarely tested, instead spending most of his time outside the box as an extra pass option for the defense or an observer of the goings-on downfield.
Right back Josh Bauer was stellar when relied upon, using his keen positional defense to intercept nearly every switch pass Ottawa sent his way and push his team on the offensive instead. Thomas Williams and Maher, making his second-ever appearance as club captain, adeptly covered ground in the middle of the pitch as well, using their tall frames to dominate 50-50 balls against Ottawa’s attackers.
That large frame also helped Maher net Nashville’s fourth goal in the 63rd minute, catching a Bryan Acosta free kick, the Honduran's first goal contribution for the club, with a deftly placed header into the bottom-left corner.
The Boys in Gold return to the field of play on Saturday evening for their first MLS away match of the season at FC Dallas, with their Round of 16 Champions Cup tie against Inter Miami set for March 11 at 7 p.m. CT at GEODIS Park.
