Nashville lifts 1st major trophy with Open Cup win

Nashville SC beat Austin FC 2-1 successful last of the U.S. Open Cup connected Wednesday nighttime astatine Q2 Stadium to triumph the team's archetypal large trophy.

The 2 recent MLS enlargement sides -- Nashville started play successful 2020 and Austin successful 2021 -- weren't separated by overmuch implicit the people of the 90 minutes positive other time, with Sam Surridge's second-half punishment proving to beryllium the difference.

The U.S Open Cup, which dates backmost to 1914, is the oldest shot contention successful the United States. The triumph earns Nashville an automatic spot successful the 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup.

Hany Mukhtar opened the scoring successful the 17th infinitesimal with a objective decorativeness from the mediate of the country aft teammate Jacob Shaffelburg chested a transverse close into Mukhtar's way to springiness the visitors an aboriginal lead.

Austin had a accidental to gully level soon after, but Brian Schwake saved Myrto Uzuni's spot footwear aft the Nashville keeper tripped him to concede the penalty.

Uzuni made amends for his saved punishment conscionable earlier the interruption erstwhile helium settled a done shot from Ilie Sánchez and smashed his adjacent interaction betwixt the legs of an onrushing Schwake to level the people astatine halftime.

Austin's Dani Pereira fouled Jeisson Palacios successful the punishment country to acceptable up a accidental for Nashville to spell up again, and Surridge made definite of it, converting his effort to enactment B.J. Callaghan's broadside up 2-1.

Nashville finished the crippled with 10 players aft Surridge was shown a 2nd yellowish card.

Callaghan besides guided the United States to triumph successful the 2023 Nations League last aft taking implicit arsenic interim manager aft Gregg Berhalter's declaration expired pursuing the 2022 World Cup.

Nashville's past last was successful the Leagues Cup 2 years agone but the squad missed retired connected a trophy, falling connected a punishment shootout to Lionel Messi and Inter Miami.

Actor Matthew McConaughey, an Austin FC proprietor and the team's "Minister of Culture," was among those astatine the match.

The last featured an all-woman on-field officiating unit for the archetypal clip that included referee Tori Penso and assistants Brooke Mayo and Kathryn Nesbitt.

The U.S. Open Cup is unfastened to some nonrecreational and amateur clubs but Major League Soccer teams person dominated the contention for much than 2 decades.

The past clip a non-Major League Soccer squad made it to the last was successful 2022 erstwhile the USL Championship-level Sacramento Republic played Orlando City.

The past clip a non-MLS squad won the lawsuit was successful 1999 erstwhile the Rochester Rhinos defeated the Colorado Rapids.

Nashville is presently successful sixth spot successful MLS' Eastern Conference with 2 games to play and are assured a spot successful MLS Cup playoffs.

Information from The Associated Press was utilized successful this report.