Nashville SC made history Wednesday night by winning its first-ever trophy with a 2-1 victory over Austin FC in the 110th U.S. Open Cup final.
A Sam Surridge penalty in the 57th minute broke a 1-1 deadlock that was enough for Nashville to secure the win at Austin’s Q2 Stadium. The victory was also the first professional title won by a team from the state of Tennessee.
Nashville lost the 2023 Leagues Cup final to Inter Miami and has since been searching for a trophy that would validate a project that began in 2020. Before the final, Nashville coach BJ Callaghan urged his players to make history and do something that the NFL’s Tennessee Titans and the NHL’s Nashville Predators had not yet accomplished.
“It’s a great night for the club and obviously the team and the whole city of Nashville,” said Callaghan. “This team has been built to represent the city of Nashville. And I think you saw that tonight with the commitment and absolute team effort. We weren’t great all night, especially in the wide areas, but we were able to build pressure on them.”
“It took us six years, but we’re very happy,” Nashville playmaker Hany Mukhtar said. “I think this year we showed that we can control games with the ball. That is a big improvement. And I still believe we have at least one step to go to be a top team, to be with the best teams in this league.”
It was an evenly played match between two teams with similar profiles. Both Austin and Nashville had spells of momentum, but there was a general lack of risk-taking from both sides. Austin, though, will rue the plethora of missed chances that ultimately sealed their fate, despite answering Nashville’s 17th-minute opening goal by Mukhtar with a well-taken equalizer in first-half stoppage time.
Albanian international Myrto Uzuni deftly settled a pinpoint pass from Illie Sanchez with his thigh and finished past Nashville goalkeeper Brian Schwake. Bedlam at Q2 Stadium ensued, and Austin appeared to grab hold of the match at the ideal moment. Uzuni had previously missed a penalty after Nashville had taken the lead, but made amends with a quality goal.
Sam Surridge held his nerve to strike a crucial penalty for Nashville. (Omar Vega / USSF / Getty Images)
Two penalties were called on the night that will surely be discussed for some time. The first penalty call came in the 21st minute after Uzuni poked the ball past Schwake, who then made contact with the ball before clashing with the Albanian’s legs. The video assistant referee confirmed the call.
“Never a penalty,” Schwake told CBS after the match. “Of course I touched the ball.”
Then, in the 57th minute, Austin’s Daniel Pereira was judged to have dragged Nashville defender Jesisson Palacios down by the waist. There was contact, and both players did tangle a bit with each other, but Palacios, who towered over Pereira, flopped to the ground. Surridge then scored the winner.
“To (determine) the final with that call is terrible,” said Austin head coach Nico Esteves during his post-match interview on CBS. “I think it’s a very sad night. A very sad night for all of soccer in America because I think this is a very, very important moment, a really important moment. And you cannot define the winner because of a call like that. But congratulations to Nashville and to BJ, I’m very happy for him.”
The Surridge penalty led to a frenetic final 30 minutes that saw Nashville pinned back inside their own half. For Austin, another club in search of its first championship, a spirited performance was undone by a lack of quality inside the Nashville penalty area. Minority owner Matthew McConaughey said before kickoff that he hoped that playing in the finals would become the norm in Austin.
Wednesday’s loss was the club’s second defeat in a title match. Austin’s impressive 2022 season ended with a 3-0 loss to LAFC in the MLS Western Conference final. The club has since had its ups and downs. Austin sits currently in sixth place in the West with three games remaining in the MLS regular season. Nashville, meanwhile, will revel in this historic moment for the club and the city.
“I think it is important for us that we know that we can do it. We can win a trophy,” Mukhtar said. “And it gives us extra confidence for the rest of the season.”
(Top photo: Stacy Revere / Getty Images)
