Nashville SC secured a 2-0 win against Atletico Ottawa on Tuesday in Hamilton, Ontario, during the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions Cup opening round.
The return leg is set for Feb. 24 in Nashville. The winner will face MLS Cup champion Inter Miami in the round of 16 next month.
Woobens Pacius scored in the 66th minute after a smooth team play down the left side. Josh Bauer, Warren Madrigal, and Alex Muyl contributed, with Matthew Corcoran delivering the pass that allowed Pacius to place a right-footed shot into the bottom left corner.
In stoppage time, Cristian Espinoza assisted Sam Surridge for a goal during a counterattack, finishing into an empty net as Ottawa’s goalkeeper rushed out but missed the ball.
Los Angeles FC overwhelmed Real Espana with a 6-1 victory in the first leg played in San Pedro Sula, Honduras.
The second leg will be held on Feb. 24, with LAFC likely to advance and face Costa Rica’s Alajuelense in the next round.
Denis Bouanga opened the scoring with a penalty kick in the third minute, and David Martinez extended the lead in the 11th minute with a curled shot into the top left corner.
Additional penalty kicks by Son Heung-Min in the 22nd minute and Bouanga in the 24th minute pushed the score to 4-0, followed by Timothy Tillman’s back-heel goal in the 39th minute, making it 5-0.
Jack Jean-Baptiste of Real Espana scored in the 51st minute, but Bouanga sealed his hat trick with a close-range goal in the 71st minute.