Instantly after the ultimate whistle of the second leg of Nashville SC’s CONCACAF Champions Cup spherical of 16 collection in opposition to Inter Miami, the official account on X posted a with the ultimate rating — 1-1 — and beneath it, one phrase in giant yellow-and-blue textual content.
“WIN.”
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Followers unfamiliar with the Champions Cup format could be tempted to think about an ethical victory akin to the 1968 Harvard-Yale soccer recreation, which produced the well-known newspaper headline “Harvard Beats Yale 29-29.” This wasn’t that.
Nashville and Miami did tie at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on March 18. However the 1-1 scoreline, which got here after a at Geodis Park on March 11, meant Nashville and superior to the quarterfinals on account of away targets, which was the primary tiebreaker.
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Greatest pictures from Nashville SC vs Inter Miami, Lionel Messi in CONCACAF Champions Cup
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – MARCH 11: German Berterame #19 of Inter Miami CF and Jeisson Palacios #4 of Nashville SC compete for the ball throughout the CONCACAF Champions Cup 2026 match between Nashville SC and Inter Miami CF at GEODIS Park on March 11, 2026 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Picture by Chris Carter/Getty Pictures)
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Greatest pictures from Nashville SC vs Inter Miami, Lionel Messi in CONCACAF Champions Cup
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – MARCH 11: German Berterame #19 of Inter Miami CF and Jeisson Palacios #4 of Nashville SC compete for the ball throughout the CONCACAF Champions Cup 2026 match between Nashville SC and Inter Miami CF at GEODIS Park on March 11, 2026 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Picture by Chris Carter/Getty Pictures)
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Greatest pictures from Nashville SC vs Inter Miami, Lionel Messi in CONCACAF Champions Cup
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – MARCH 11: Lionel Messi #10 of Inter Miami CF enters the pitch previous to the CONCACAF Champions Cup 2026 match between Nashville SC and Inter Miami CF at GEODIS Park on March 11, 2026 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Picture by Chris Carter/Getty Pictures)
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Greatest pictures from Nashville SC vs Inter Miami, Lionel Messi in CONCACAF Champions Cup
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – MARCH 11: Hany Mukhtar #10 of Nashville SC leads the staff out previous to previous to the CONCACAF Champions Cup 2026 match between Nashville SC and Inter Miami CF at GEODIS Park on March 11, 2026 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Picture by Chris Carter/Getty Pictures)
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Greatest pictures from Nashville SC vs Inter Miami, Lionel Messi in CONCACAF Champions Cup
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – MARCH 11: Lionel Messi #10 of Inter Miami CF enters the pitch previous to the CONCACAF Champions Cup 2026 match between Nashville SC and Inter Miami CF at GEODIS Park on March 11, 2026 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Picture by Chris Carter/Getty Pictures)
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Greatest pictures from Nashville SC vs Inter Miami, Lionel Messi in CONCACAF Champions Cup
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – MARCH 11: Lionel Messi #10 of Inter Miami CF greets Andy Najar #31 of Nashville SC previous to the CONCACAF Champions Cup 2026 match between Nashville SC and Inter Miami CF at GEODIS Park on March 11, 2026 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Picture by Chris Carter/Getty Pictures)
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Greatest pictures from Nashville SC vs Inter Miami, Lionel Messi in CONCACAF Champions Cup
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – MARCH 11: Lionel Messi #10 of Inter Miami CF warms up previous to the CONCACAF Champions Cup 2026 match between Nashville SC and Inter Miami CF at GEODIS Park on March 11, 2026 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Picture by Chris Carter/Getty Pictures)
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Greatest pictures from Nashville SC vs Inter Miami, Lionel Messi in CONCACAF Champions Cup
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – MARCH 11: Hany Mukhtar #10 of Nashville SC warms up previous to the CONCACAF Champions Cup 2026 match between Nashville SC and Inter Miami CF at GEODIS Park on March 11, 2026 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Picture by Chris Carter/Getty Pictures)
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Greatest pictures from Nashville SC vs Inter Miami, Lionel Messi in CONCACAF Champions Cup
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – MARCH 11: Lionel Messi #10 of Inter Miami CF warms up previous to the CONCACAF Champions Cup 2026 match between Nashville SC and Inter Miami CF at GEODIS Park on March 11, 2026 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Picture by Chris Carter/Getty Pictures)
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Certain, it won’t be technically correct.
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However Nashville lastly beat Inter Miami. Nashville lastly beat .
“I am going to by no means be 100% happy, however proper now, I am not going to consider that,” coach B.J. Callaghan mentioned. “I believe now we have a bunch proper now in that locker room that has lots of perception in what we’re doing. I believe you noticed that all through the evening, only a relentless spirit that continued to struggle, it doesn’t matter what was taking place on the sphere. They caught collectively the entire time, they had been rewarded with the purpose, and completed the sport robust.”
Nashville went into this season with following a resurgent 2025 marketing campaign that included a membership report in targets and a primary trophy by . Overcoming Miami, final season’s MLS champion, is in some respects an excellent greater deal.
FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA – MARCH 18: Gamers of Nashville SC have fun and advance to the following spherical of the CONCACAF Champions Cup 2026 after the CONCACAF Champions Cup Spherical of 16 Second Leg match between Inter Miami CF and Nashville SC at Chase Stadium on March 18, 2026 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. (Picture by Leonardo Fernandez/Getty Pictures)
Its has all the time been one-sided. Since August 2023, Nashville has gone simply 1-7-4 in opposition to the Herons and misplaced in three separate competitions: the 2023 Leagues Cup closing, 2024 Champions Cup spherical of 16 and the . Messi particularly has dominated the matchup, with 16 targets in opposition to Nashville, his most in opposition to any membership outdoors of Spain.
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When Messi fired a shot between the legs of defender Jeisson Palacios and into the web within the seventh minute — his — it appeared like extra of the identical.
“They had been capable of create overloads on the facet, they’re capable of neutralize the press, I assumed they had been urgent laborious on us,” Callaghan mentioned. “We had a tough time controlling the ball and laying the ball off to one another. I assumed for an extended time frame that they had been nonetheless very aggressive on us, and I used to be simply glad that we had been capable of increase the extent.”
Nashville survived having simply 40% possession and being outshot 10-5 as goalkeeper Brian Schwake made 5 saves. It performed its approach again into the sport within the second half and nearly equalized within the 67th minute as performed Hany Mukhtar free with a go down the center, however Mukhtar missed the web regardless of being 1-on-1 with goalie Dayne St. Clair.
Nashville did not let itself grow to be demoralized with the missed probability. It got here again seven minutes later to get the purpose it wanted; Espinoza speeding into the field to volley residence a rebound after Alex Muyl’s preliminary shot was blocked and an ensuing scrum on the purpose line.
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“I assumed it was a extremely collective effort,” Callaghan mentioned. “The purpose that Cristian capitalizes on is, once more, a lot of a staff purpose and simply competing.”
Subsequent up is a quarterfinal matchup with Membership América in April. However for now, Nashville can savor its newest milestone.
“Now we have nice respect for Miami,” Callaghan mentioned. “We have performed them lots of instances in some actually nice video games. We need to be a staff that advances in massive tournaments. We need to be a staff that pursues trophies. We need to be a membership that does that, and it’s important to earn your approach into every subsequent spherical. And I assumed after two legs, we had been capable of earn our approach.”