Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami take on MLS rivals Nashville on the road in the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions Cup Round of 16 at Geodis Park.
Inter Miami progressed to the competition and earned a bye by defeating Nashville in the Leagues Cup last year.
Nashville eased past Dominican side Moca FC in dominant fashion, but have struggled to get going in the MLS this season.
The Sporting News is following the Nashville vs. Inter Miami match live, providing score updates, commentary and highlights as they happen.
Nashville vs. Inter Miami live score (first half)
Kickoff: 9:00 p.m. ET / 6:00 p.m. PT
Location: Geodis Park (Nashville, Tennessee)
Referee: Marco Ortiz (Mexico)
Starting lineups:
Nashville (3-5-2): Willis (GK) – MacNaughton, Zimmerman, Godoy — Moore, Davis, Muyl, Shaffelburg, Lovitz — Boyd, Mukhtar.
Inter Miami (5-3-2): Callender (GK) – Allen, Freire, Kryvtsov, Aviles, Gressel – Gomez, Busquets, Redondo – Suarez, Messi
Nashville vs. Inter Miami live updates, highlights, commentary
23 min: SHOT NASHVILLE
After a scramble, Muhktar tries a snap shot from outside the box, which is batted away for a corner by Callender.
22 min: Suarez just misses a through pass to Messi’s run into the centre of the penalty area. So close.
19 min: Shaffelburg has been superb down the left. He once again gets into a crossing position but his delivery is too high for a team-mate.
18 min: The game is following a familiar pattern. Nashville absorbing pressure and looking to spring attacks on the counter.
13 min: CHANCE INTER MIAMI
Messi is teed up inside the penalty area and his curled shot is inches wide. You just expected the net to ripple there/
10 min: CHANCE NASHVILLE
Shaffelburg springs clear down the left flank. He gets to the byline, crosses it in but his cross is batted down by Callender. Mukhtar moves in for the scraps and has a shot cleared off the line. Then the offside flag goes up. VAR looks at the play and clear it.
9 min: Game has resumed with Inter Miami dominating possession. No panic just yet. Messi and Suarez involved but haven’t had an impact yet.
4 min: GOAL NASHVILLE – Jacob Shaffelburg
Shaffelburg profits from a defensive mistake from Aviles. He is fed the ball in space and finishes clinically past Callender. What a start for Nashville. Against the early run of play.
It’s Jacob Shaffelburg who breaks the deadlock for Nashville! 🚀
🟡 Nashville 1-0 Inter Miami 🦩 pic.twitter.com/ezRDaK2UwH
— Concacaf Champions Cup (@TheChampions) March 8, 2024
2 min: Inter Miami with all the early possession and pressure. Nashville sitting back.
Kickoff: We are underway here at Geodis Park. There is barely a spare seat in the house
Minutes to kickoff: Players are entering the field currently. There is a huge cheer as Messi and Suarez wander out to the pitch.
10 mins before kickoff: Getting closer to the start here. Inter Miami have picked a full strength lineup including Messi, Suarez, Busquets and new signing Fernando Redondo.
25 mins before kickoff: Nashville have announced their starting XI for the match.
The XI Boys in Gold to start Round 2️⃣ of @TheChampions ⭐️ pic.twitter.com/ckq6lU3TpE
— Nashville SC (@NashvilleSC) March 8, 2024
30 mins before kickoff: Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez are in Inter Miami’s starting XI.
Your lineup for tonight 🤝
Tune in on TUDN and FS2 to watch 📺 pic.twitter.com/tfWGzGHnXn
— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) March 8, 2024
90 mins before kickoff: Welcome to tonight’s live coverage of the CONCACAF Champions League match between Nashville and Inter Miami.
Inter Miami vs Nashville SC lineups, team news
Tata Martino has so far resisted the potentially tempting urge to rest Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez early in the season, leaning on them both and profiting as a result. Yet with the memory of Messi’s late-season injury last year still in his mind, this is, in all likelihood, the time where Messi and Suarez take a seat.
New signing Federico Redondo has only just arrived with the club after sorting out his visa issues, and will be unlikely to feature here. DeAndre Yedlin was traded to FC Cincinnati after last weekend’s game, and thus the right-back spot is wide open, likely to eventually be filled by a new signing. Noah Allen looks to be moving to center-back but could deputize in the short-term, while young Ian Frey could be an option down the road but is still working on recovery from his third career ACL tear suffered last year.
First-choice goalkeeper Drake Callender has been fantastic to start 2024, and it will be interesting to see if Tata Martino sticks with him for all competitions or utilizes a “cup goalkeeper” and gives CJ Dos Santos a chance to shine.
Inter Miami projected starting lineup (3-5-2): Callender (GK) — Allen, Freire, Kryvtsov — Gressel, D. Gomez, Mota, Sunderland, Taylor — Borgelin, Campana.
The most pressing absence for Nashville is the gaping hole made by Hany Mukhtar who has missed the start of the season with a hip injury. He will reportedly return to training soon, but it would be hasty for Nashville head coach Gary Smith to deploy his most valuable asset so soon in a midweek continental match, and instead will likely wait until at least this coming weekend’s league fixture, if not longer.
Injuries to Sam Surridge and Randall Leal aren’t as bad as initially feared, but they will still not make the lineup here.
Nashville SC projected starting lineup (3-5-2): Panicco (GK) — MacNaughton, Zimmerman, Maher — Moore, Davis, Muyl, Yearwood, Lovitz — Boyd, Bunbury.
How to watch Inter Miami vs Nashville SC: Live stream, TV channel
- TV Channel (English): FS2
- Streaming (English): Fubo, Fox Sports website & app
- TV Channel (Spanish): TUDN
- Streaming (Spanish): Fubo, TUDN website & app
The USA broadcast rights for the 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup are owned by FOX Sports, who will be televising this match on FS2, which is available to stream on Fubo, who offer a FREE trial for new users.
Meanwhile, there is a Spanish-language broadcast available on TUDN, which is also streaming on Fubo.
