Nashville SC had a strong performance but finished in a 0-0 draw against Inter Miami on Wednesday in the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions Cup round of 16.
The second leg will take place on March 18 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The winning team will face either the Philadelphia Union or Club America from Mexico in the next round.
Nashville outshot Miami 15-8 overall and had a 5-1 lead in shots on target. Miami’s goalkeeper, Dayne St. Clair, made five crucial saves.
Nashville’s Brian Schwake only had to stop one shot, which was from Lionel Messi in the 57th minute. Messi has achieved significant milestones, including leading Argentina to victory in the 2022 World Cup and Inter Miami to the MLS Cup championship in 2025. He remains at 899 career goals for both club and country.
In other matches on Thursday night, Jamaica’s Mt. Pleasant was set to start their series against the Los Angeles Galaxy in California, while Mexico’s Toluca was scheduled to play their first leg against San Diego FC.