Nashville become first team to clinch MLS playoff berth as Callaghan hails 'completely aligned' squad

Nashville SC lock up postseason spot with commanding form

Nashville SC became the first team in Major League Soccer to secure their playoff berth last weekend, a 3-0 victory over the Chicago Fire lifting them onto 57 points. The result has them sitting 11 points clear at the top of the Eastern Conference, and they arrive at their next fixture on the back of two straight wins.

Head coach BJ Callaghan believes the club's success this season stems from a unified philosophy running through every level of the organization. Nashville remain unbeaten at Geodis Park in MLS play during 2026, providing a formidable platform as the regular season enters its closing stretch.

"What you see here, the body of work that we have, is a testament to everyone involved," Callaghan said. "Aligning behind values and a vision that we all want to chase. And then you constantly use that as filters on how we make decisions. Whether that's the way we want to play, the way we want to prepare, the way we want to recruit and scout players.

"It touches every part of our organization, and we're aligned completely from top to bottom."

Toronto FC still chasing the postseason

Next up for Nashville is Toronto FC, a side still pushing for a playoff place with eight games remaining. The Reds sit 12th in the Eastern Conference on 29 points, four behind FC Cincinnati in the final wild-card spot.

Toronto's 2-1 win over Nashville in the reverse fixture earlier this month stretched their unbeaten run to seven games, but they have since dropped their last two matches, conceding three goals in each defeat. Head coach Robin Fraser, however, remains confident his group can still reach the postseason.

"Hope isn't necessarily about what happened [against St. Louis]; hope is what I believe this team can do," Fraser said. "It was one of those that, to me, seems like an anomaly, because I don't often see this team not be up for the intensity.

"I still believe in this group, and I still believe that they can do well, but the margins are very fine this time of year, and it might be a half step off or taking a play off, and those things make all the difference. It's definitely a group that I feel like has a lot of character, and that's what it's going to take to get us over the line."

Players to watch

Cristian Espinoza (Nashville SC): The forward played a decisive role in the win over Chicago, contributing a goal and an assist in the second half to seal all three points. He has registered 12 assists in MLS this term — second only to Lionel Messi (13) among league players — from 52 chances created.

Theo Corbeanu (Toronto FC): Corbeanu struck late to grab a consolation against St. Louis City SC last time out, one of just two shots on target for his side. It was only his second goal of the campaign since rejoining the club on loan in January, ending a run of eight games without finding the net.

Form and prediction

Toronto's victory earlier this month — secured by a stoppage-time winner from Emilio Aristizabal — was an outlier in the recent head-to-head. Before that, Nashville had been unbeaten in six consecutive meetings with Toronto (W4 D2), winning four in a row and keeping a clean sheet in every home game during that span.

The September 9 defeat is Nashville's only loss in their last nine MLS outings, and they have won each of their previous eight on home soil. For Toronto, the win over Nashville stands as their only victory in the last five league games (D2 L2).

Opta's win probability favours the hosts heavily: Nashville SC 63.1%, Draw 19.3%, Toronto FC 17.6%. The match prediction is a Nashville SC win.