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Midweek games

Nashville wins Open Cup, Wright lifts Coventry, 5 Yanks in the Champions League, & more

ASN's Brian Sciaretta breaks down all the midweek action starting with the Open Cup final and then looking to European play as well as the Championship. 
BY Brian Sciaretta Posted
October 02, 2025
5:05 PM

IT HAS BEEN A BUSY WEEK with games across the globe, including a final here in the United States. All this, of course, has been played in the backdrop of the United States national team roster being announced on Thursday.

Let’s give a few thoughts on these games.

 

Nashville wins Open Cup

 

Nashville SC won the U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday night with an impressive 2-1 victory away against hosts Austin FC. The win was a fair result as Nashville came out with an aggressive game plan, was not lost in the moment, and made the big plays when needed.

It was a huge testament to former USMNT assistant coach B.J. Callaghan who had his team well prepared for the game. In the end, it was goals from standout forwards Hany Mukhtar and Sam Surridge along with a penalty stop from Brian Schwake (who is normally the backup). USMNT central defender Walker Zimmerman, who has been injured, was able to play for the final 30 minutes to see out the win.

Nashville will now earn a place in the CONCACAF Champions Cup next season and Callaghan continues to impress as he steps out from the assistant roles of the past and into a head coaching role.

One American storyline to point out in this game is that Owen Wolff impressed for Austin, despite the loss. He was fast, dynamic, and strong. He has taken big strides this year in his development and if he were just two days younger, he would be with the U.S. U-20 team at the World Cup right now.

 

MLS notes

 

The one MLS midweek game saw Chicago clinch a playoff spot for the first time since 2017 with a convincing 5-3 win over Inter Miami in Florida. One of the big takeaways is that it was a night for the Chicago homegrowns.

The final goal from Brian Gutierrez was well worth a watch.



But the winning goal came from 2004-born Justin Reynolds who was subbed into the game in the 61st minute and tapped in a cross from homegrown Mauricio Pineda.



Against a Miami team loaded with some of the biggest stars in the world, Chicago won the game in large part because of three homegrowns. Now Chicago is off to the playoffs.

Meanwhile, Inter Miami can beat any team on any day, but their defense can implode at any time. That makes winning in the playoffs harder.

 

Yanks in the Champions League

 

In the Champions League, five American players took part in the midweek games.

On Friday, Tim Weah played the entire second half for Marseille in a 4-0 win over Ajax. It was a great win for Marseille after a close 2-1 away loss to Real Madrid in the opening game. Marseille completely outclassed Ajax.

It was a very quiet game for Weah who entered the game with the score 3-0 and he was simply part of a long process of closing the game out to ensure a convincing win. He didn’t make any mistakes but the intensity of the game was dialed back.

Yunus Musah was part of Atalanta’s important 2-1 win over Club Brugge when he entered the game in the 53rd minute with the Italian club down 1-0 only to see them rally for the win with him on the field and he was even credited with an assist on the second goal when his glancing header off a short corner was headed home by Mario Pasalic. Overall, Musah had a mixed performance with highs and lows, but ultimately he had a hand in the victory – which should help as he seeks more playing time

Folarin Balogun started and played 82 minutes for Monaco in a 2-2 draw at home against Manchester City. He exited with his team behind 2-1 and Monaco would equalize via a penalty (which was protested heavily by Man City). Balogun missed a golden chance to score in the 54th minute but whiffed on the attempt. It was a tough but makeable chance.

Malik Tillman played 80 minutes for Bayer Leverkusen in a 1-1 draw against his former club, PSV Eindhoven (who were without both Sergino Dest and Ricardo Pepi due to injury). It was a boring game and Tillman’s offensive contributions were minimal. Bayer Leverkusen are disjointed after their recent coaching change and the whole team lacks cohesion right now – including Tillman.

Weston McKennie went a full 90 minutes for Juventus in a disappointing 2-2 draw with Villarreal as Juve appeared to be heading for a winner but conceded a stoppage time equalizer. McKennie had a few offensive chances he failed to convert, including a shot right at the keeper, but he did well defensively to breakup passing lanes and win duels. He is still not quite settled into a role with this team, but he is gradually improving and getting back to his usual self.

 

The Championship

 

Haji Wright: was the top performing American in the Championship as he scored two goals in a big 4-0 away win over Millwall in London. That win moved Coventry into second place, and just two points behind Middlesbrough. For Wright, he now has seven goals in eight games across 601 minutes. But it really looks like he is going to be an important player in a promotion race, which will be great for him as a player.

Aidan Morris: Middlesbrough remain atop the Championship table following a 0-0 draw against Stoke City on Tuesday. Morris played 65 minutes but lately he has been subbed out when his team is looking for a goal, which means he needs to be more dynamic offensively. He has that in him. But Middlesbrough has drawn three of its last four games as they continue to cool off a bit, despite having yet to lose.  

Ethan Horvath: The Colorado goalkeeper made three saves and conceded two as Sheffield Wednesday played to a 2-2 draw with Birmingham City to remain second from the bottom of the table.

Josh Sargent: wasn’t able to get anything going for Norwich in a 1-0 loss to West Bromwich. The USMNT striker had just one blocked shot and three touches in the West Brom box. Norwich is playing poorly, and Sargent isn’t getting service, but his lack of production is why he was left off the USMNT roster.

George Campbell: the former CF Montreal defender is quietly finding his way at West Bromwich and went 90 minutes in keeping the shutout against Norwich. He is in line to get a lot of minutes this year. If he can keep West Brom in contention, he can find his way into the USMNT player pool.

Patrick Agyemang and Charlie Kelton: The two American forwards started for Derby County and Charlton respectively in a 1-1 draw. But Kelman was subbed out in the 57th minute and Agyemang left in the 88th. Neither had any meaningful impact on the game.

Caleb Wiley: started for Watford against Portsmouth. He was subbed out at halftime with Watford down 1-0 but Watford went on to win 2-1. That might make minutes a little harder to come by in the coming weeks.

 

Europa and Conference League

 

Three Americans were involved in the Europa League on Thursday.

Cameron Carter-Vickers: played 90 minutes for Celtic in a tough 2-0 loss to Braga in Glasgow. After a 1-1 away draw to Red Star in the opener, it has been a rough time for Celtic in Europe after getting bounced in the Champions League in the playoff round. The only good news for Celtic is that Rangers also lost in their Europa League game to Sturm Graz. But Carter-Vickers will now join the U.S. national team despite a rough start to the season in Scotland.

Erik Palmer-Brown: went 90 minutes for Panathinaikos in a 2-1 loss at home to Go Ahead Eagles of the Eredivisie. It was a quiet performance from the former Sporting Kansas City homegrown. But next up they will play another Dutch team in Utrecht but they need a result after earning just three points from the first two games.

Tanner Tessmann: played 68 minutes for Lyon in a 2-0 win over Salzburg. While he didn’t have any massive high points, he was very competent in ensuring that the team won the midfield battle. Tessmann is helping to drive a Lyon team that is just rolling right now in both the Europa League and in Ligue 1. He’s one of the most in-form American players right now, only behind Pulisic.

In the Conference League, three more Americans took the field in the first round of games.

Chirs Richards: played 90 minutes for Crystal Palace in a 2-0 away win over Dynamo Kyiv. Richards helped Palace control the game and was 46/48 in his passing as he continues to play very well.

Leon Flach: played 62 minutes for Jagiellonia Bialystok in a 1-0 win over Malta’s Hamrun Spartans. Flach came out of the game right after Hamrun Spartans were reduced to 10 men But Flach did well to win his duels and defensive battles.

Dante Polvara: the former Georgetown Hoya played the final 25 minutes for Aberdeen in a 3-2 loss at home to Shakhtar Donetsk in what continues to be a miserable year for Scottish teams in Europe.

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