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Why Nashville SC is both proud and disappointed after season-ending playoff loss to Inter Miami
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- Why Nashville SC is both proud and disappointed after season-ending playoff loss to Inter Miami
There's no solace to be had for Nashville SC .
Not that its elimination from the MLS playoffs came at the hands of superstar Lionel Messi and Inter Miami , perhaps the most talented squad ever assembled in the league. Not that it took Miami to the deciding Game 3 of the best-of-three first-round series.
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The main thing Nashville dwelled on as its season came to an end on Nov. 8 in Fort Lauderdale was a lopsided 4-0 defeat.
"It doesn't matter," defender Daniel Lovitz said. "When you're out on the field competing as a group of 11 or 18 or 20 guys or our whole roster, you can't have that mindset. Whoever we play against, they have the same number of players we do, and quite frankly, we fancy ourselves against any group . . . You don't get points for competing."
It's possible that no one would have beaten Inter Miami, the way it played in Game 3. The Herons used intense pressure to stifle Nashville's attack, holding it without a shot on target in the first half. Messi was at his best, scoring twice and assisting on a pair of Tadeo Allende goals, which put the game to bed. Miami (19-7-8) looked motivated to avenge its shocking defeat to Atlanta United in last season's first round and left no mistake against Nashville (16-12-6).
But NSC didn't do much to help its cause, and that's what it will take away from its loss. Matthew Corcoran gave the ball away on a deflected pass, which Messi pounced on before dribbling through traffic to open the scoring. Walker Zimmerman whiffed as he tried to clear a long pass from Jordi Alba , which led to Messi's second goal.
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MORE: Nashville SC season ends as Inter Miami, Lionel Messi dominate in Game 3 victory
Nashville coach B.J. Callaghan thought his starting lineup didn't do enough to exploit the space behind Miami's defense. He subbed on midfielder Gaston Brugman and forward Jacob Shaffelburg at halftime, which allowed NSC to break the press and create chances more frequently, but Miami goalkeeper Rocco Rios Novo was never seriously threatened.
"We were a little bit slow to adjust," Lovitz said. "Trying to take space behind them maybe would have helped us a little bit. I think we made that adjustment pretty well to start the second half, but a little bit too late in terms of getting behind the 8-ball a bit with the scoreline and having to push and leave ourselves exposed."
Callaghan tried to strike a balance after the game, noting that the 2025 edition of Nashville SC achieved more than any previous group in club history. It won the franchise's first championship trophy in the U.S. Open Cup , set a club record for goals in one season, and did all of this with a coach in his first full season, a roster with 12 newcomers and a brand-new style of play.
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"For the most part, we're happy with the way that we did it," Callaghan said. "It's not easy, and I think the guys committed to it and did it each weekend, and I hope everybody sees that and can be proud of it. This is a team that wanted to come out and represent the city of Nashville in a real hard-working, intense way."
But in the present moment, those are reasons why this loss stings even more. Nashville beat the Supporters' Shield-winning Philadelphia Union three times in 2025. It spent much of the summer near the top of the Eastern Conference standings. When in top form, NSC looked like one of the best teams in MLS. Against Inter Miami, it didn't.
"We're disappointed," Callaghan said, "and the emotion is raw."
Jacob Shames can be reached by email at jshames@gannett.com and on X/Twitter @Jacob_Shames.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville SC proud, but disappointed after Game 3 loss to Inter Miami
