History will be made for one club on Wednesday night, as Nashville SC take on Austin FC in the 2025 U.S. Open Cup final with the trophy, prize money and a berth in the 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup on the line.
There will be a first-time winner in the longest-running soccer tournament in the U.S. as both sides look for their first major trophy. Nashville came close in the 2023 Leagues Cup final, where they fell to Inter Miami in Lionel Messi’s first few weeks in North America. For Austin FC, the match represents their first final in team history.
With so much on the line on Wednesday, here’s everything you need to know for the U.S. Open Cup final.
What Time Does Austin FC vs. Nashville SC Kick-Off?
- Location: Austin, Texas
- Stadium: Q2 Stadium
- Date: Wednesday, Oct. 1
- Kick-Off Time: 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT
- Referee: Tori Penso
Austin FC vs. Nashville SC Head-to-Head Record
- Austin FC: 1 win
- Nashville SC: 2 wins
- Draws: 1
- Previous meeting: Nashville SC 2–0 Austin FC - Aug. 24, 2024 (MLS Regular Season)
Current Form (All Competitions)
How to Watch, Stream Austin FC vs. Nashville SC - U.S. Open Cup Final
Austin FC Team News
Austin FC come into a major final looking to cap off a tournament that started with a close call, squeaking out a 3–2 victory over USL Championship side, El Paso Locomotive.
Since that Round of 32 match, it hasn’t been an easy road either. They comfortably passed Houston Dynamo FC with a 3–1 quarterfinal win, but needed penalties to advance past the San Jose Earthquakes in the quarterfinals, and pulled off an upset with a 2–1 semifinal win over Minnesota United.
After previously only advancing as far as the MLS Cup Playoffs Western Conference final in 2022, taking the next step to play in a championship-deciding match has already been a significant moment for the club. Yet, first-year head coach Nico Estévez is hoping there’s one more step to take.
“To have the opportunity to bring a first trophy to the club, it means a lot—not only to the club but the fanbase, the players, the staff,” Estévez said. “Everyone around the team, everyone in the community, everyone who follows the team. I know in this particular case, the city of Austin is behind the team. It would mean a lot.”
Los Verdes will likely look to the trio of Owen Wolff, Myrto Uzuni and Osman Bukari to lead the way in attack, while relying on veteran and recent MLS All-Star goalkeeper, Brad Stuver, at the back.
At the same time, 21-year-old CJ Fodrey will look to continue his stellar run of form, which saw him provide a critical moment as penalties loomed in the semifinal against the Loons.
Injuries-wise, Austin will miss Mikkel Desler and striker Brandon Vázquez, who is out for the remainder of the season with a knee injury.
Austin FC Predicted Lineup vs Nashville SC
Austin FC Predicted Lineup vs Nashville SC (3-4-2-1): Stuver; Đorđević, Cascante, Hines-Ike; Fodrey, Sánchez, Pereira, Kolmanič; Wolff, Bukari, Uzuni
Nashville SC Team News
Nashville SC arrive not only with the pressure of winning the club’s first trophy, but the state of Tennessee’s.
While the state has come close before, through the relative success of the NFL’s Tennessee Titans, the NHL’s Nashville Predators, and the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies, all have fallen short of a championship moment, allowing Nashville a chance at some sporting history in the state.
For Nashville, though, this cup final comes amid a tumultuous run of form. They have won just twice in their last eight games, and have lost some of the momentum that had them looking like MLS Cup contenders earlier in the season.
They will still be a force though, and will look to superstars Hany Mukhtar and Sam Surridge to drive their success, with the two linking up for a combined 38 goals in MLS regular-season play.
Meanwhile, their head coach, B.J. Callaghan previously led the U.S. men’s national team to the 2023 Concacaf Nations League title in an interim capacity.
To advance to the championship match, Nashville had to weather a tight 1–0 win over Chattanooga Red Wolves SC in the Round of 32, before navigating their way past fellow MLS clubs, Orlando City, D.C. United and the Philadelphia Union.
“I think the Open Cup has shone a light on how we are a real team from top to bottom,” Callaghan said. “We have a lot of players who contributed to this run, big moments in this run. And that’s the beauty of the tournament, it’s that you’re going to call on everybody.”
Nashville will miss Ahmed Qasem, Jonathan Pérez, Julian Gaines, Taylor Washington and Wyatt Meyer due to injury, while Matthew Corcoran is off representing the U.S. at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile.
Nashville SC Predicted Lineup vs. Austin FC
Nasvhille SC Predicted Lineup vs. Austin FC (4-3-3): Willis; Nájar, Maher, Palacios, Lovitz; Tagseth, Yazbek, Muyl; Mukhtar, Surridge, Shaffelburg
Austin FC vs. Nashville SC Score Prediction
Austin FC will have home advantage in this one, but Nashville SC’s game-breaking talent of Mukhtar and Surridge may be too much to take when it comes to a winner-take-all final.
This one could very well go to penalties to decide it, but we’re picking Nashville SC to prevail and win their state’s first-ever professional sports championship.
READ THE LATEST MLS NEWS, TRANSFER RUMORS AND GOSSIP
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Austin FC vs. Nashville SC: U.S. Open Cup Final Preview, Predictions and Lineups.
