In their first US Open Cup appearance since 2023, MLS’ Nashville SC needed just one goal to overcome their USL League One visitors, the Chattanooga Red Wolves.
The hosts went ahead early, but though they threatened to increase their lead several times, the second goal never came. One proved enough as a disciplined performance limited Chattanooga’s offensive threats to maintain the clean sheet.
“I thought overall you saw good individual performances by a lot of players that linked in to what I thought was a really good team performance,” B.J. Callaghan, Nashville head coach, said. “The cup knockout games, you’ve got to give credit to Chattanooga, the way they were set up, the way they came into the game was really good.
“It made it really difficult for us to play and get some rhythm,” he added. “But I thought what we saw tonight is that the depth of our team and the versatility of our team was a nice positive.”
The away side was one of five teams remaining in the cup’s fourth round who had started in the first, but traveling to their in-state rivals for the first time in club history proved a step too far.
The Red Wolves set the unlikely record of getting past all three of their previous rounds on penalties and barely troubled Nashville’s goalkeeper at GEODIS Park. By the time they went a man down in the 81st minute, it was clear there would be no fourth shootout to add to the list.
Nashville started the game on the front foot and got the first big chance of the night just seven minutes into the encounter. Though Teal Bunbury’s header crashed against the bar, the Boys in Gold didn’t have to wait much longer for the opener.
In the 18th minute, Nashville’s Jonathan Pérez raced into the box from the right flank. It initially looked like the chance had died when the winger slipped while cutting onto his left, but the ball still made its way to the edge of the box to an onrushing Josh Bauer.
The right-back slammed it first-time, sending a rocket across goal and into the far post’s side netting to open the score.
“I tried cutting in and shooting, but I slipped,” Pérez said. “Thankfully the ball landed perfectly for Josh. It was such an amazing shot from Josh. It was just the perfect shot.”
Bauer nearly turned provider eight minutes later as a lofted through ball connected with Bunbury inside the box. The forward’s touch was just too heavy and allowed Red Wolves goalkeeper Ricardo Jerez to claim the loose ball.
The tide of the game briefly turned around the hour mark, shortly after Nashville were forced into an early substitution.
Taylor Washington went down near the half-way line off an innocuous coming together. The left-back suffered an apparent injury to his knee after his teammate Wyatt Meyer committed a foul on a Red Wolves player, who fell awkwardly against Washington. After a few minutes of on-field treatment, Jack Maher replaced the Nashville left-back.
Callaghan said in his post-game press conference that he did not yet have any information on the injury. He said they would need a full medical on the player to understand what happened.
The situation nearly went from bad to worse for Nashville after the enforced change as the ensuing free-kick led to a second one closer to goal, which saw the Red Wolves put the ball in the back of the net. However, the referee called the play back and the score remained 1-0.
Chattanooga’s Joshua Ramos had whipped the ball into the top left corner from down near the right-side corner flag, but unfortunately for him his teammate Matthew Bentley was adjudged to be interfering with the goalkeeper from an offside position.
Buoyed by the near-goal, the Red Wolves enjoyed their best period of the game but still could not find a way past a stout Nashville defense.
The home team nearly took advantage in the 43rd minute, springing a fast break on their guests. Ahmed Quasem carried the ball through the middle before releasing Gastón Brugman down the right, but the midfielder’s cross back to his teammate was well-interecepted by Chattanooga’s Eric Kinzner.
It was the last big play of the half, which ended with Nashville leading 1-0.
Quasem, who led that final counter-attack, brought that same energy to the second half. Switched to the right flank after starting on the left, the Swedish winger caused the Red Wolves all sorts of problems soon after the restart.
In the 50th minute, Quasem dribbled his way into the box before cutting back to Brugman, but a Chattanooga player got in the way to block the shot. Not even a minute later, Quasem was at it again. This time he cut inside before sending an inviting cross to the back post, but Bunbury was just too short for it and Jerez claimed.
Chattanooga showed higher energy in their pressing as the half wore on and they grew more desperate to get back into the game, but it wasn’t until the 64th minute that the visitors got their first shot of the night. Alhassan Alhassan, subbed on six minutes earlier, cut inside and let one rip from distance. The shot was too central though, and Brian Schwake had no issues gathering it in the Nashville goal.
Nashville responded with two chances of their own, with Quasem once again the orchestrator for the first.
The winger shimmied his way into the box in the 69th minute before attempting a cut back. It was deflected, but the bouncing ball fell to an overlapping Bauer, whose improvised shot went just over the bar to deny him a brace.
A minute later, Nashville had a golden chance down the opposite flank as Pérez sent in a low cross to the back post, only for Brugman to arrive a few seconds late to miss a tap-in.
“I think we were able to get ourselves into good final pass opportunities, like spaces in the penalty box, but I don’t think we executed that well,” Callaghan said. “I was happy where we got the final pass to, and then we just need to execute it and have a little bit clearer final actions.”
Chattanooga’s best chance of the game came in the 77th minute as Alhassan surged down the right, cut onto his left and fired at the near post. Schwake made a good diving save to maintain his clean sheet, and things got bleak for the visitors soon after.
Alhassan had been the Red Wolves’ most lively player since coming on in the 58th, but a late tackle in the 81st led to his second yellow card of the evening. With the substitute given his marching orders, the visiting team were left with 10 minutes to overcome a one-goal deficit against their MLS hosts while playing a man down.
With the advantage, Nashville saw out the game with little fuss to extend their impressive home record in the competition. The MLS side have yet to lose a home Open Cup game in normal or extra-time. They lost their first-ever home Open Cup encounter on penalties, but have won all nine such games since.
“I didn’t know that,” Callaghan said with a laugh when the stat was put to him post-game. “But listen, I’ve said this from the beginning, weeks ago, we take the US Open Cup seriously. It’s an opportunity for this club to earn a trophy and also is a pathway for us to go compete against the elite of North America. And that’s what we want to do, that’s our long-term vision.
“It shows I think the professionalism and the performances and the approach that, one, as a club, we take, and, two, the guys on the team, how serious they take this,” he added.
Nashville now boast a 9-2-2 all-time Open Cup record, and are 8-0-1 at home. They will play on the road next, facing either the Tampa Bay Rowdies (USL-C) or Orlando City SC (MLS).
The Red Wolves can still be pleased with their Open Cup run, which has seen them make the deepest run in club history. Their previous best came with a third round exit last season. They are now 2-4-3 in Open Cup play.