Philadelphia Union will face Nashville SC in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup Semifinal on Tuesday at Geodis Park. The match, which starts at 8pm ET and will be broadcast on CBS Sports and Paramount Plus, is a key opportunity for Philadelphia to reach the tournament final for the fourth time in club history.
This meeting is the third between Philadelphia and Nashville this season. In previous encounters, Nashville has won both times—first with a 3-1 victory at Subaru Park in March and then with a stoppage-time penalty win during Fourth of July weekend in Tennessee. Since their last matchup, Nashville has experienced six losses in regular season play, while Philadelphia has lost only twice over the same period. Currently, Nashville holds fifth place in the Eastern Conference and seventh overall in the Supporters’ Shield standings after 30 games.
“They are a team that has a ton of quality. Some exceptional playmakers with Surridge and Mukhtar, but then there’s a lot of supporting star players as well, and we have to contain them,” Carnell said.
“This is a once-off game now, and this is something we have to be up for the challenge and really excited about. Our team has been amazing throughout the whole season, getting to this point now, and there’s one more game to a final, and that’s the full focus right now.”
The Union enter Tuesday’s match following a disappointing result against Vancouver Whitecaps but quickly turned their attention to preparing for the Open Cup Semifinal. The team trained Sunday night at Nashville’s facility after traveling from British Columbia.
“The team is full of energy. I think that’s the beauty of having a young group that’s excited and energized about where they’re going this season and what they’ve done so, yeah, I think there’s an exciting game tomorrow,” Carnell said.
On Monday afternoon, defender Nathan Harriel spoke about what reaching this stage means for the squad: “One game won’t define who this team is. It’s been a really strong and successful season so far, and now we have big Open Cup game against Nashville. It’s a chance to compete for a trophy, and that’s one goal this club has this year — to lift a trophy,” Harriel said.
Regarding player availability, head coach Carnell indicated that goalkeeper Andre Blake remains a gameday decision after missing Saturday’s match against Vancouver. Centerback Olwethu Makhanya will be available for selection despite being suspended from regular season matches due to card accumulation.
The semifinal match determines which team will advance to face either Austin FC or Minnesota United in the US Open Cup Final.
