Nashville's Cup Heartbreak Won't Stop Them From Running the East, and D.C. Has No Idea What's Coming

Nashville SC just took a brutal gut punch in Mexico, losing 1-0 to Tigres UANL on Tuesday night to get knocked out of the CONCACAF Champions Cup with a 2-0 aggregate defeat in the semifinals. One win away from a second continental final in franchise history. Gone. Just like that.

But here's what matters right now: the Black and Gold are still absolutely rolling in MLS play. Nashville (7-1-2, 23 points) sits four points clear atop the Eastern Conference, and manager B.J. Callaghan believes getting past the Champions Cup disappointment could actually light a fire under his squad heading into Saturday's home clash against D.C. United.

"When it's over, it's over," Callaghan said. "So you kind of almost see a refreshed-ness in the group, that we know we have a full focus on MLS play and MLS play only. We've got a great sense of hunger out of the Tigres game. And I think we just want to continue to fuel that kind of fire in our eyes, fire in our belly."

Nashville's Scoring Machine vs. D.C.'s Returning Threat

Here's the problem, though: Nashville hasn't scored in its last three games across all competitions. Yeah, you read that right. They're dealing with a scoring drought while pulling double duty between continental and domestic competition. This will be their fifth match in 15 days, so fatigue could be real.

Sam Surridge was the last Nashville player to light the lamp, scoring twice in the second half of a 4-2 home win over Charlotte on April 25. He's up to eight and nine goals on the season, and he'll be the centerpiece of an intriguing matchup Saturday against D.C. striker Tai Baribo, who's expected back from a thigh injury that sidelined him for the last two games.

D.C. United Shows Up Ready to Battle

Don't sleep on D.C. (4-4-3, 15 points). The Black-and-Red have put together a four-match unbeaten run with consecutive wins: 3-2 at home over Orlando on April 25 and 2-0 at New York City FC last Sunday. Baribo has six goals for the season after leading Philadelphia with 16 last year.

Club-record offseason signing Louis Munteanu is already making waves, scoring once against Orlando and twice in New York for his first three career MLS goals. D.C. manager Rene Weiler knows his team is heading to Nashville in form, but he's not buying any of the hype just yet.

"It gives us this confidence boost," Weiler said. "We know that we are able to play good games against all of the teams in our league. But it will be a tough game. And of course we know how difficult it is to win games. It hasn't changed after this win."

Saturday night at Nashville's place. Two teams hitting their stride. This one matters.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.