Columbus Crew Seek First Win Against High-Scoring Nashville SC

Columbus defense tightens up but offense struggles to find the net as Nashville brings potent attack to Ohio

Mar. 14, 2026 at 3:35am

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The Columbus Crew (0-1-2, 2 points) are still searching for their first win of the season as they host the high-scoring Nashville SC (2-0-1, 7 points) on Saturday night. After fixing their defensive issues last week, the Crew's offense couldn't find the back of the net. Meanwhile, Nashville is coming off a 3-1 win over Minnesota and boasts a potent attack led by Sam Surridge, Cristian Espinoza, and Hany Mukhtar.

Why it matters

This matchup pits a Columbus team trying to find its offensive rhythm against a Nashville squad that has been one of the most prolific scoring teams in MLS so far this season. The outcome could have early implications on the Eastern Conference standings as both teams look to establish themselves as contenders.

The details

The Crew made a tactical change last week, going with a 4-4-2 formation instead of the 3-4-3 they used previously. This helped shore up the defense, but the offense was unable to capitalize. Meanwhile, Nashville has been led by the trio of Surridge, Espinoza, and Mukhtar, who have combined for seven of the team's nine goals so far this season.

  • The match is scheduled for Saturday, March 14, 2026.
  • Nashville is coming off a 3-1 win over Minnesota last Saturday.

The players

Henrik Rydstrom

First-year head coach of the Columbus Crew.

Sam Surridge

Nashville SC forward who has scored a team-high 17 home goals since the start of last season.

Cristian Espinoza

Newly acquired Nashville SC midfielder who spent the previous seven seasons with San Jose.

Hany Mukhtar

Nashville SC midfielder who is part of the team's potent attacking trio.

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What they’re saying

“We have the utmost confidence (that) if we continue to get our guys in good goal-scoring chances, we'll continue to score goals.”

— B.J. Callaghan, Nashville SC head coach (statenews.net)

“When they then maybe try to play into our penalty box, we have good possibilities to defend and we did that. ... We were defensively solid, hard to break down.”

— Henrik Rydstrom, Columbus Crew head coach (statenews.net)

What’s next

The outcome of this match could have early implications on the Eastern Conference standings as both teams look to establish themselves as contenders.

The takeaway

This game pits a Columbus team searching for its offensive rhythm against a Nashville squad that has been one of the most prolific scoring teams in MLS so far this season. The Crew's ability to contain Nashville's high-powered attack while finding a way to generate more offense of their own will be crucial in determining the outcome.