FC Cincinnati’s regular season ended with a thud at a sold-out TQL Stadium on Saturday: a 2-0 Decision Day loss to Nashville SC that dropped the Orange and Blue to the No. 9 seed in the Eastern Conference and into a one-match wild card, FC Cincinnati reported.
Sam Surridge scored both Nashville goals in the second half, in the 61st and 86th minutes, as the visitors recorded their 17th clean sheet of the season, according to the club. Nashville (23-3-8, 77 points) set the all-time MLS single-season points record, breaking Inter Miami’s 74-point mark from 2024, FC Cincinnati reported.
Cincinnati (12-12-10, 46 points) finished the season 9-5-3 at TQL Stadium, where Saturday’s crowd of 25,513 was the 14th sellout of the season, according to the club’s game report. The Orange and Blue outshot Nashville 15-14 and put five shots on goal to Nashville’s five, but could not beat goalkeeper Brian Schwake.
The match stayed scoreless for an hour. Surridge’s opener came on assists from Andy Najar and Patrick Yazbek, and his second — assisted by Yazbek and Josh Bauer — arrived as Cincinnati pushed forward late chasing an equalizer, according to FC Cincinnati’s scoring summary.
One individual milestone did land for the hosts: Tom Barlow became the second player in club history to appear in all 34 MLS regular-season matches in a season, joining Alvaro Barreal, who did it in 2023, FC Cincinnati reported.
The result flipped Cincinnati’s playoff path. Instead of a guaranteed place in Round One, the No. 9 seed must travel to No. 8 Orlando City SC for the Eastern Conference Wild Card Match, with the winner earning a first-round series against No. 1 Nashville, according to FC Cincinnati. Major League Soccer will announce the wild card date and time this weekend, the club said.
For Nashville, the afternoon was historic — a Supporters’ Shield season capped with a league points record. For Cincinnati, the season now comes down to a single elimination match on the road, with a familiar opponent waiting if it survives.
Photo: Inside TQL Stadium in Cincinnati during an FC Cincinnati match. Photo: IagoQnsi, CC BY