A Southeast rivalry long painted pink has dramatically changed colors this year, with Nashville SC flipping the switch on Inter Miami CF.
The sides meet again in this weekend's Walmart Saturday Showdown, as Nashville look to continue their recent dominance over the defending MLS Cup presented by Audi champions (7:30 pm ET | Apple TV).
What sort of fireworks await in this Matchday 26 clash at Nu Stadium?
Concacaf Champions Cup
Following Lionel Messi's transformative move to Inter Miami in July 2023, Inter Miami posted an 8W-1L-2D record across all competitions against Nashville.Â
That included their title-clinching win in the Leagues Cup 2023 final and their Round One Best-of-3 Series victory in the Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs.
Fast forward to 2026, and the budding rivalry's first matchup was in the Concacaf Champions Cup Round of 16.
They played to a 0-0 draw in Leg 1 at GEODIS Park, which set up a winner-take-all Leg 2 in South Florida.
Messi opened the scoring with the 900th goal of his historic career, putting Inter Miami ahead in the seventh minute.
But Cristian Espinoza's second-half equalizer gave Nashville the away goal they needed to reach the quarterfinals following the 1-1 draw, advancing on tiebreakers.Â
It was heartbreak for Miami, whose ownership group spoke openly about wanting to win CCC and spent aggressively during the offseason to fulfill those ambitions.
Ultimately, Nashville defeated LIGA MX powerhouse Club América in the quarterfinals before Tigres UANL ousted them in the semifinals.
Nashville SC 4, Inter Miami 1
This year's first regular-season matchup came at GEODIS Park on Aug. 15, and the Supporters' Shield leaders earned a decisive 4-1 victory.Â
Hany Mukhtar struck for a brace, fellow MLS All-Stars Andy Nájar and Sam Surridge added a goal apiece, and Brian Schwake saved Messi's first-half penalty kick to secure the win.
Nashville haven't missed a beat since that memorable night, opening a nine-point gap on Miami in the Supporters' Shield and Eastern Conference races.
Can Nashville continue to assert their 2026 dominance, or will the Herons claw back? That answer comes Saturday night at Miami's new ground.
