- Nashville SC have won two and drawn two of their last five MLS games (L1).
- New York City FC have won three and drawn one of their last five MLS matches (L1).
- New York City FC have won 2 and Nashville SC have won 0 of the last 3 head-to-head MLS meetings, with 1 draw.
Nashville SC and NYCFC both in decent form
Nashville SC come into Sunday’s game in better form than New York City FC (W2, D2, L1) with 2 wins, 2 draws and 1 loss in their last 5 MLS 2026 matches, but both teams have been playing well recently and should provide an exciting, goal-laden fixture.
SC have won their last two MLS 2026 games, beating New England Revolution 3-0 away and Los Angeles FC 3-2 at home, while NYCFC have won 3 of their last 5 MLS fixtures (D1, L1).
The hosts have made a strong start to the season, sitting in third place in MLS 2026 with 24 points from 11 games and New York City FC are having a tougher time of it, in 16th place on 15 points from 12 matches.
An interesting clash of playing styles
The clash of two coaches who each have a very different approach to playing the game will make this a fascinating fixture.
Nashville SC boss BJ Callaghan is a pragmatic coach who has brought a strong element of defensive discipline and tactical flexibility to the club since taking over in July 2024.
His side have been a fortress at home in MLS 2026, winning 4 and drawing 1 of 5 matches played at GEODIS Park without suffering a single defeat.
Callaghan’s players are compact, disciplined and strong in their defensive shape, able to counter-attack rapidly and with great penetration when the game state allows.
Pascal Jansen’s New York City FC are more proactive, energetic and pressing, with the German having instilled a high-tempo, possession-based approach to the squad since taking over in January 2025.
They like to press and play through the thirds, favouring wide play and playing on the front foot. Jansen’s team have been better away from home lately, going unbeaten in their last 3 away matches (W2, D1).
Home win likely in an open game
These two teams play differently, but each are strong in their own way and come into this clash in decent form. Both sides have good attacking options, with Sam Surridge being Nashville SC’s biggest threat with 9 MLS 2026 goals in 7 appearances.
Hannes Wolf has been in fine form for NYCFC with 3 goals in his last 5 appearances, while Nicolas Fernandez leads the line well with 8 goals in 12 MLS 2026 games.
Nashville SC have scored 3.60 goals per home game and conceded just 1.20 per match in MLS 2026. New York City FC have conceded 1.25 per away match in MLS 2026, shipping 5 goals in total in 4 matches.
These two sides are both capable of scoring, but also of conceding on the counter-attack, which should make for an entertaining game. We’re taking Nashville SC to edge an open contest with the hosts priced up at 1.83 for a home victory.
Over 2.5 goals is available at 1.85 and both teams to score is priced up at 1.71 for this encounter, which fits our overall read on the fixture.
