Nashville SC vs. FC Cincinnati MLS Decision Day preview, Digi Mart USA News: Nashville SC closes its 2026 MLS regular season on Saturday’s Decision Day against longtime rival FC Cincinnati, one point shy of the league’s all-time points record. The Boys in Gold, the Supporters’ Shield winners, are looking to beat Cincinnati for the second time this season.
Both clubs have been among the league’s most prolific attacks. Nashville and Cincinnati are two of only four teams to score 67 or more goals in 2026, trailing only Inter Miami’s 77 and Vancouver’s 72.
Each side has at least one player with 17 or more goals, and both have a player with at least 15 assists.
Cristian Espinoza has been a central figure in Nashville’s attack in his debut season with the club. After six years with San Jose, the Argentine winger joined Nashville as a free agent and leads the squad in assists.
He is one of just 13 players in MLS history with 100 or more career assists, and only two of them are still active.
Evander, the Brazilian playmaker, has been one of the league’s most consistent attacking threats since joining Cincinnati in 2023. He has exceeded 30 goal involvements in three straight seasons.
He has a goal and four assists in his last four games, including two assists against Inter Miami.
Nashville has already secured the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, and the Supporters’ Shield. Cincinnati’s season has been more uneven.
It has the conference’s third-best attack but also the third-worst defense in MLS, with just four clean sheets. Its recent results include wins over Philadelphia and D.C.
and a draw with Inter Miami, following defeats to the Union, Montréal and Miami earlier in the year.
Saturday’s match still carries postseason implications for both teams. A Cincinnati loss combined with a Columbus win would drop Cincinnati to eighth in the Eastern Conference and could set up a first-round meeting with Nashville.
A Cincinnati win and a Philadelphia loss or draw could move Cincinnati into sixth place and produce a first-round matchup with New England instead of Miami.
Nashville and Cincinnati have a long rivalry dating back to their USL days. Their MLS meetings are split evenly with four wins apiece, although Nashville holds a 23-16 advantage in goals.
Dejan Surridge leads the series in scoring with four goals in four appearances. Nashville will host the first game of its best-of-three first-round series at GEODIS Park on Sunday, Nov. 22, against the winner of the wild card round.
