Atlético Ottawa are in Tennessee for the second leg of their Concacaf Champions Cup round one tie.
The first match ended in a 2-0 victory for Nashville, who took the lead through former Forge man Woobens Pacius before Sam Surridge completed a counter-attack late on to break Ottawa's hearts.
The reigning Canadian Premier League champions will be playing their first-ever competitive match outside of Canada, and they'll need to win by at least two goals to set up a meeting with Inter Miami and Lionel Messi.
How Nashville enter the match
After their 2-0 victory in Hamilton last week, the Tennessee outfit had no trouble at home against a New England Revolution side that offered little resistance, winning 4-1 in their MLS season opener.
Sam Surridge, who also got on the scoresheet against Ottawa, grabbed a brace, with Hany Mukhtar and Warren Madrigal also finding the net.
The reigning US Open Cup holders are off to a strong start in 2026 and will be looking to carry that momentum into Tuesday's second leg.
Last time out
Nashville defeated Ottawa 2-0 in the first leg, dominating for large stretches and earning a deserved result.
The opening half was played largely on Ottawa's terms in terms of possession, though they struggled to create anything meaningful in the final third.
Nashville carved out some good chances late in the half but were unable to convert.
In the 66th minute, Woobens Pacius received the ball inside the box, got the better of Sergei Kozlovskiy, and fired a shot that crept into the net to make it 1-0.
Ottawa's first real chances of the game came in the dying minutes, with Kamron Habibullah denied on the goal line and Erling Myklebust heading just wide.
The hosts' late pressure left plenty of space at the back, and it ultimately cost them. Hany Mukhtar found acres of space in midfield, played it to Cristian Espinoza, who squared it to Sam Surridge, and the striker made no mistake on an open net.
"It's a tough one. 1-0 would've been a little better in a way," Manny Aparicio said after the match. "That second one, the last second of the game, really hurts. It could've been very different, for sure."
Absences and doubts
Diego Mejía's side will be without Richie Ennin, Jean-Aniel Assi, and Joaquim Coulanges, who are all injured. Roni Mbomio remains unavailable due to a visa issue.
Projected XIs
Atlético Ottawa (3-4-2-1): Garissone Innocent; Sergei Kozlovskiy, Noah Abatneh, Loïc Cloutier; Gabriel Antinoro, Manuel Aparicio, Juan 'Coque' Castro, Daniel Aguilar; Jonantan Villal, Ballou Tabla; Erling Myklebust
Nashville SC (4-3-3): Brian Schwake; Josh Bauer, Jack Maher, Thomas Williams, Jordan Knight; Alex Muyl, Patrick Yazbek, Matthew Corcoran; Warren Madrigal, Woobens Pacius, Cristian Espinoza
Game information and how to watch
📆 Tuesday, February 24, 2026
⏰ 8:00 pm ET / 5:00 pm PT
📺 OneSoccer, FuboTV, Telus Optik TV Ch. 980
👤 TBA
🏟 Geodis Park, Nashville, United States
