Nashville SC and Inter Miami CF played to a 0-0 draw in the first leg of their Concacaf Champions Cup round of 16 match at GEODIS Park on Wednesday night. The defending MLS champions will meet again on March 18 at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale to determine which team advances to the quarterfinals.
This result leaves Miami star Lionel Messi still one goal short of reaching the 900-goal milestone, having scored his 899th against D.C. United on Saturday.
Messi, aiming to join Ronaldo as one of the only players to tally 900 goals for club and country, nearly achieved the feat early in the second half but was thwarted by Nashville goalkeeper Brian Schwake.
Before this match, Messi had scored in six consecutive games against Nashville since April 20, 2024, recording 12 goals and five assists during that span. This marked his second game without a point in four appearances, having also been kept scoreless in a 3-0 loss to LAFC on February 21.
Messi’s single shot on target during the match was his lowest since the MLS Cup Eastern Conference final on November 29 against New York City FC, where he had no shots on goal but contributed an assist in Miami’s 5-1 victory.
Although Miami controlled 59% of the possession in the match, Nashville was more aggressive offensively, taking a total of 15 shots compared to Miami’s eight, with four of Nashville’s attempts on target.
Miami coach Javier Mascherano praised his team’s defensive organization: “The team played well, particularly in terms of defense, preventing Nashville from playing comfortably. It’s never easy coming here; we were aware of the challenge. Now, we look forward to next Wednesday with our fans and hope we can advance to the quarterfinals.”
Nashville’s best opportunity came from a corner taken by Cristian Espinoza in the 65th minute, finding Reed Baker-Whiting in the box, but Baker-Whiting’s header went just over the crossbar.
Inter Miami’s Maximiliano Falcón sustained an injury in the seventh minute and was replaced by Gonzalo Luján. “We don’t have details regarding Maxi’s injury yet; he will need to go through tests,” Mascherano said. “We hope it’s nothing serious, but the fact that he had to leave the field indicates something is wrong.”
The winner of the Nashville-Miami series will take on either Club América or the Philadelphia Union in the quarterfinals. Club América secured a 1-0 win over Philadelphia on Wednesday in Chester, Pennsylvania. The decisive game will occur on March 18 in Mexico City.
Advancement in the Champions Cup is determined by aggregate goals over two matches. If Nashville and Miami end their next encounter in a scoreless draw, the game will proceed to extra time and, if necessary, penalty kicks.
Inter Miami will debut at the Nu Stadium, their new facility with a capacity of 26,700 seats, on April 4 against Austin FC.
This story includes information from The Associated Press.