On Wednesday, history will be made in Austin when Austin FC and Nashville SC meet in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup final at Q2 Stadium, which can be seen on CBS Sports Network at 8 p.m. ET. It’s the second appearance for Nashville in a cup final of any sort after losing to Inter Miami on penalties in the 2023 Leagues Cup final, while it’s the first cup final in club history for Austin. Both have met four times, with Nashville holding the series lead with two wins, one draw, and one loss.
For teams that began play in 2020 (Nashville SC) and 2021 (Austin FC), this is one of the biggest moments in their history, a fact that isn’t lost on Nashville defender Jack Maher.
“It means the world to me. It’s something that [coach] B.J. Callaghan has made it clear that we’re striving for. In the locker room, guys are talking about it,” Maher said on CBS Sports Golazo’s Morning Footy. “We want to be the first ever professional sports team in the state of Tennessee to bring home a trophy, and for us to be able to do that not only for the guys in the locker room but the fans and everyone in the whole state of Tennessee, I think that means the world.”
How to watch Austin FC vs. Nashville SC, odds
Date: Wednesday, Oct. 1 | Time: 8 p.m. ET
Location: Q2 Stadium — Austin, Texas
TV: CBS Sports Network | Live stream: Paramount+
Odds: Austin FC +165; Draw +230; Nashville SC +145
Austin FC look to become the third team from Texas to lift a U.S. Open Cup title and join the Houston Dynamo and FC Dallas. They are two evenly matched sides, but what may determine this are the star attackers. Austin have had to adjust things after losing Brandon Vazquez for the season in July, and it has worked to great effect. Since then, Austin have only lost three of their nine matches due to strength in the air, scoring 11 goals this season from headers, which is the second most in MLS play.
For Nashville, not only do they have experience with four players having won this competition with different clubs, but their forwards will also be something to watch. The club have only lost one game when star striker Sam Surridge has scored this season, and it was a hat trick from the Englishman that pushed them past the Philadelphia Union to this point. Surridge has 27 goals in 33 appearances in all competitions, but if Austin focus too much on him, Hany Mukhtar will make them pay.
It makes for a long night in Texas and a fascinating Open Cup final. In a tournament that has undergone changes with Champions Cup teams being pulled out due to fixture congestion, a clash of these two sides shows that the Open Cup can still be a magical experience with a club-defining trophy on the line.