DC United vs Nashville SC preview

United States flag 2026 Major League Soccer, United States
Audi Field Today - 11:30 PM
Major League Soccer
DC United DCU
Nashville SC NSH
KICKOFF : Today - 11:30 PM
Regular Season

CONTEXT

DC United welcome Nashville SC to Audi Field for a Major League Soccer regular season clash in 2026. Nashville SC enter as the stronger side with a power score of 74.2 against DC United's 59.79 and hold a 14.4 point advantage. The visitors sit top of the domestic standings in first place while the hosts occupy eighth. Nashville SC also carry a clear edge in recent form with a score of 37.06 compared to 16.78 for DC United. Both teams will look to exploit structural strengths at a venue where home support could play a role. Limited underlying data on efficiency and transitions leaves set piece analysis reliant on proxy metrics with low confidence. Nashville SC are expected to dictate proceedings given their overall superiority.

TL;DR

  • Structural: Nashville SC hold a 14.4 point power advantage over DC United.
  • Form: Nashville SC lead with a form score of 37.06 against DC United's 16.78.
  • Squad: Nashville SC are the stronger side in this encounter.
  • Efficiency: Limited efficiency data is available for both teams ahead of the fixture.
  • Transition: Data on transitional play remains unavailable for analysis.
  • Set pieces: Set piece metrics show low confidence with proxy data used for both sides.
  • xVariable: The power scores indicate Nashville SC at 74.2 versus DC United at 59.79.
  • Market: Projection split: DC United 0% (Δ+0%) | Draw 0% (Δ+0%) | Nashville SC 0% (Δ+0%).
No standings statistics available.
No head-to-head records found.
0.5+ goals: 85%
1.5+ goals: 70%
2.5+ goals: 50%
3.5+ goals: 25%
Confidence: High (≥8 matches)

Quality vs Volume

Home: xG 1.8, Shots 12, xG/Shot 0.15
Away: xG 1.5, Shots 14, xG/Shot 0.11

Open Play vs Set Play

Open Play: 65%
Set Play: 35%

Expected Points

TeamxPts
Home1.8
Away1.2
ℹ️ Methodology: Expected Goals (xG) measures shot quality
Jan 25 vs Team A
Feb 1 vs Team B
Feb 8 vs Team C
DC United R. Weiler
R. Weiler
VS
Nashville SC B. Callaghan II
B. Callaghan II
1.29
Avg Points / Game (Last 100 Matches)
2.29
1.17 i
Last 6 Opponents
Toronto Rank: 58 W
Houston Dynamo Rank: 63 D
CF Montréal Rank: 60 D
St. Louis City Rank: 67 D
Chicago Fire Rank: 68 L
Nashville SC Rank: 74 D
Avg Points / Game (Last 6 Matches)
2.5 i
Last 6 Opponents
Orlando City Rank: 65 L
CF Montréal Rank: 57 W
Atlanta United Rank: 55 W
New York City Rank: 71 W
Los Angeles FC Rank: 75 W
New England Rank: 65 W
2
Head to Head (Wins - Draws - Losses)
2 - 2 - 1
1
No sidelined player data available.

Team Power Ranking

i
What is Power Ranking?
Power ranking is SportMonks' model-based team strength indicator. Historical input capped to 2 seasons.
59.79
74.2
0 (Weakest) 100 (Strongest)
Metric
DC United
Nashville SC
Power Score
59.79
74.2
League Position
8
1
Global Rank
655
213

Form Analysis Opponent-Weighted

Line chart of recent results (points/trend). Friendlies excluded by default. Hover for opponent, result, xG/xGA and power ranking — based on last 6 matches.

–
vs
DC United — Opponent-weighted form score
Nashville SC — Opponent-weighted form score
Win (3 pts) Draw (1 pt) Loss (0 pts) DC United Nashville SC

Team Head to Head Last 6 Seasons

Summary of 5 matches between these sides — filtered by competition and venue context.

DC United DCU Home
5 matches
Nashville SC NSH Away
Match Record
2
Wins
1
2
Draws
2
1
Losses
2
Goals
8
Goals Scored
7
7
Goals Conceded
8
+1
Goal Difference
-1
Expected Goals
0
xG
0
0
xGA
0

Data last updated: 2026-08-01T23:00:34+00:00

STARTING XI

Match Formation 4-4-2
Match Formation 4-3-3
Pitch
S. Johnson
United States
1 S. Johnson
S. Hefti
Switzerland
5 S. Hefti
L. Bartlett
United States
3 L. Bartlett
K. Rowles
Australia
15 K. Rowles
K. Kurokawa
Japan
6 K. Kurokawa
J. Hopkins
United States
25 J. Hopkins
B. Servania
United States
23 B. Servania
A. Dozzell
England
21 A. Dozzell
J. Martins Peglow
Brazil
7 J. Martins Peglow
L. Munteanu
Romania
11 L. Munteanu
T. Baribo
Israel
9 T. Baribo
B. Schwake
United States
99 B. Schwake
A. Najar Rodríguez
Honduras
31 A. Najar Rodríguez
J. Maher
United States
5 J. Maher
M. Woledzi
Ghana
3 M. Woledzi
J. Bauer
United States
22 J. Bauer
E. Tagseth
Norway
20 E. Tagseth
M. Corcoran
United States
16 M. Corcoran
B. Acosta Ramos
Honduras
6 B. Acosta Ramos
H. Mukhtar
Germany
10 H. Mukhtar
S. Surridge
England
9 S. Surridge
I. Mohammed
Cook Islands
14 I. Mohammed

General Information

Date & Time
Aug 01, 2026, 11:30 PM
Competition
2026 Major League Soccer, United States · Regular Season
Stadium
Audi Field
Capacity
20000
Pitch Surface
Grass
Weather
☀️ 12°C, Fair
Referees
Ricardo Montero
Nick Uranga
Ben Rigel
JC Griggs

Lineup

Referee : Ricardo Montero

Starting XI ▼

1
Sean Johnson
Sean Johnson Goalkeeper
6.82
3
Lucas Bartlett
Lucas Bartlett Defender
6.86
5
Silvan Hefti
Silvan Hefti Defender
6.68
6
Keisuke Kurokawa
Keisuke Kurokawa Defender
6.78
15
Kye Rowles
Kye Rowles Defender
6.94
7
Peglow
Peglow Midfielder
6.95
21
Andre Dozzell
Andre Dozzell Midfielder
7.16
23
Brandon Servania
Brandon Servania Midfielder
6.67
25
Jackson Hopkins
Jackson Hopkins Midfielder
6.86
9
Tai Baribo
Tai Baribo Attacker
7.13
11
Louis Munteanu
Louis Munteanu Attacker
6.96
Referee : Ricardo Montero

Starting XI ▼

99
Brian Schwake
Brian Schwake Goalkeeper
7.05
3
Maxwell Woledzi
Maxwell Woledzi Defender
7.1
5
Jack Maher
Jack Maher Defender
7.08
22
Josh Bauer
Josh Bauer Defender
6.67
31
Andy Nájar
Andy Nájar Defender
7.01
6
Bryan Acosta
Bryan Acosta Midfielder
7.04
14
Shak Mohammed
Shak Mohammed Midfielder
6.87
16
Matthew Corcoran
Matthew Corcoran Midfielder
6.91
20
Edvard Tagseth
Edvard Tagseth Midfielder
6.95
9
Sam Surridge
Sam Surridge Attacker
7.29
10
Hany Mukhtar
Hany Mukhtar Attacker
7.2

CONCLUSION

Nashville SC arrive at Audi Field with clear advantages in power, form and league position that should shape the contest against DC United. The visitors have shown greater consistency and will aim to control key areas of the pitch from the outset. DC United must rely on home support and defensive organisation to limit opportunities for the league leaders. Set piece situations could offer moments of respite or threat given the lack of detailed metrics available. Overall the match presents a test of whether DC United can disrupt Nashville SC's superior structure and momentum. Success for the hosts will require disciplined execution while Nashville SC look to convert their edge into a positive result.