The U.S. Men’s National team will return to Music City in September. Nashville’s Nissan Stadium will host their World Cup qualifier against Canada on September 5, sources confirm to Broadway Sports.
The match will be the ninth time the USMNT have played at Nissan, with the latest a 3-1 win over Jamaica in the 2019 Gold Cup semifinal. The last World Cup qualifier played in Music City was on April 1, 2009, a 3-0 win over Trinidad and Tobago featuring a hat-trick from then 19-year-old Jozy Altidore.
The match will be the U.S.’s second in the final round of Concacaf World Cup qualifying. They’ll kick off the “Octagonal” in El Salvador on September 2 before returning home to take on Canada in Nashville.
UPDATE: US Soccer and Nashville Mayor John Cooper officially announced the match on Sunday afternoon. In addition to hosting the World Cup qualifier, Nashville will serve as the USMNT’s base camp ahead of their road matches against El Salvador and Honduras. From the official press release:
CHICAGO (July 4, 2021) – For the USMNT’s first home match of the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifying campaign, the U.S. Soccer Federation has selected Nashville as the host of USA-Canada, presented by Volkswagen.
The match will be played Sept. 5 at Nissan Stadium, with FS1, UniMás and TUDN carrying the match live at 7 p.m. CT (8 p.m. ET). Ticket information will be available in the near future.The official announcement was delivered this evening by Nashville Mayor John Cooper during the Let Freedom Sing! Music City July 4th event in downtown Nashville.
U.S. Soccer would like to thank the Tennessee Titans, the City of Nashville, the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp and Nashville SC for their support in hosting this important event in Music City.
With winning at home vital to any team’s chances of qualifying for the World Cup, venue selection is a critical component. USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter recognized Music City’s growing soccer culture and outstanding facilities as key factors in the selection.
“We know that one of the things critical to our success in World Cup Qualifying is having a strong home crowd and winning our home games,” said Berhalter. “When I think about the stadium, the field, and a crowd that’s full of energy, there’s no better place to kick off our home World Cup qualifying series than in Nashville. It’s a vibrant city and we look forward to playing there.”
Currently home to Nashville SC, the city has developed a rich history of supporting the USMNT and drawing impressive crowds. The USA began its march to the 2017 Concacaf Gold Cup title by playing to a 1-1 draw with Panama in front of 47,622 fans – then a record attendance mark for soccer in the state of Tennessee.
A year later, more than 40,000 fans witnessed the first international goal by Tyler Adams and a stout U.S. defense deliver a 1-0 shutout victory against regional rivals Mexico. Most recently, the USA endured muggy conditions and an 88-minute weather delay in the middle of the first half to overcome Jamaica 3-1 in the semifinal of the 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup. Christian Pulisic earned Man of the Match honors with a pair of second half goals, piggybacking on Weston McKennie’s opener.
Overall, the USA has amassed a 4-2-1 record in Nashville.
As a result of the World Cup qualifier, Nashville SC have shifted their home match against NYCFC, previously scheduled for September 4, to Friday, September 3 in order to accommodate the USMNT.
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