Nashville SC have beaten arguably Concacaf's strongest team, riding second-half goals from Sam Surridge and Fafa Picault to a 2-0 win over Liga MX power CF Monterrey in Tuesday night's Leagues Cup semifinal.
With the victory at GEODIS Park, Nashville will now host Saturday's Leagues Cup Final against Inter Miami CF – plus have booked a spot in the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup. Both are firsts for the fourth-year club. Monterrey, meanwhile, will contest the tournament's Third-Place Match against the Philadelphia Union after Lionel Messi powered a 4-1 win in Tuesday's other semifinal.
Surridge made the difference in the 67th minute when curling home a cushioned feed from Hany Mukhtar on a counterattacking sequence that began with Walker Zimmerman's towering header – a moment delivered by Nashville's three Designated Players.
Picault then put the result on ice in the 96th minute, concluding another counterattack where he muscled off Monterrey midfielder Luis Romo before roofing a left-footed shot to emphatically send Nashville through.
Mukhtar thought he opened the scoring inside a quarter-hour, but Video Review controversially rescinded his would-be golazo. It was ruled that Alex Muyl interfered with Monterrey goalkeeper Esteban Andrada's diving save attempt from an offside position, overturning a potential goal of the tournament.
Monterrey poured on the pressure, but Nashville goalkeeper Elliot Panicco came up huge with three saves – pulling out stunning stops on forwards Rogelio Funes Mori and Jordi Cortizo. Panicco was also bailed out by opposing defender Érick Aguirre hitting the crossbar in the 28th minute, while Rayados were denied another VAR check (possible penalty kick) in the 57th minute.
Three Things
- THE BIG PICTURE: At times, Monterrey seemed invincible during Leagues Cup while beating four MLS teams on the road. But travel and other factors caught up to Rayados in Music City, with head coach Gary Smith's team providing the perfect blend of defensive fortitude and final-third quality. Now, Nashville welcome Messi & Co. in pursuit of the club's first-ever title. Saturday's Leagues Cup Final winner also gets a bye into the Round of 16 in the 2024 CCC.
- MOMENT OF THE MATCH: Surridge's third Leagues Cup goal in as many games started the party at GEODIS Park. The former Nottingham Forest striker is fitting right in after signing only three weeks ago.
- MAN OF THE MATCH: Monterrey can ruthlessly punish defensive miscues. Zimmerman ensured those opportunities never got out of hand.
Next Up
- NSH: Saturday, Aug. 19 vs. Inter Miami CF | 9 pm ET (MLS Season Pass) | Leagues Cup Final
- MTY: Saturday, Aug. 19 at Philadelphia Union | 6 pm ET (MLS Season Pass) | Leagues Cup Third-Place Game
