Nashville SC faces a challenging match against Club América at Estadio Azteca, where no MLS team has won a competitive match. After a 0-0 tie in the first leg, Nashville must win or draw with at least one away goal to advance in the CONCACAF Champions Cup quarterfinals.
Nashville SC faces altitude, history against Club América at Estadio Azteca
Estadio Azteca in Mexico City is the most famed soccer venue in North America. For MLS teams, it's a house of horrors.
No MLS team has ever won a competitive match at Azteca, the home stadium of Club América. América, the most decorated club in Mexico, is 5-0-1 against teams from the United States and Canada when playing there. Fellow Liga MX club Cruz Azul beat MLS teams there in 2021 and 2022 when it called Azteca its home.
That's what Nashville SC is up against in the second leg of its CONCACAF Champions Cup quarterfinal series against Club América on April 14 (10:30 p.m. CT, FS1). After a 0-0 tie in the first leg at Geodis Park on April 7, Nashville needs to win or draw, provided that draw is 1-1 or greater due to the away goals tiebreaker, to advance to its first-ever continental semifinal.
"It's a great opportunity in your professional career to take two minutes and pause and think about where we get to play and the history of a stadium like that," said Nashville coach B.J. Callaghan. "But at the same time, you flip the switch as a pro, and we understand that we're going to have a well-coached and organized opponent."
Apr 7, 2026; Nashville, TN, USA; Nashville SC midfielder Hany Mukhtar (10) shoots the ball through the legs of Club America midfielder Rodrigo Dourado (17) in an attempt to score during their Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinal match at Geodis Park. Mandatory Credit: Alan Poizner-Imagn Images
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - APRIL 07: Hany Mukhtar #10 of Nashville SC reacts to a play during the first half of the CONCACAF Champions Cup Quarterfinals against América at GEODIS Park on April 07, 2026 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - APRIL 07: Reed Baker-Whiting #27 of Nashville SC heads the ball on net during the first half of the CONCACAF Champions Cup Quarterfinals against América at GEODIS Park on April 07, 2026 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - APRIL 07: Cristian Espinoza #7 of Nashville SC reacts to a play during the first half of the CONCACAF Champions Cup Quarterfinals against Club América at GEODIS Park on April 07, 2026 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images)
Apr 7, 2026; Nashville, TN, USA; Nashville SC forward Sam Surridge (9) looks to pass the ball during their Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinal match against Club America at Geodis Park. Mandatory Credit: Alan Poizner-Imagn Images
Apr 7, 2026; Nashville, TN, USA; Nashville SC midfielder Cristian Espinoza (7) drives the ball as Club America defender Miguel Vazquez (32) approaches him during their Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinal match at Geodis Park. Mandatory Credit: Alan Poizner-Imagn Images
Apr 7, 2026; Nashville, TN, USA; Nashville SC midfielder Hany Mukhtar (10) dribbles the ball past Club America midfielder Erick Sanchez (28) during their Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinal match at Geodis Park. Mandatory Credit: Alan Poizner-Imagn Images
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - APRIL 07: Cristian Espinoza #7 of Nashville SC reacts to a play during the first half of the CONCACAF Champions Cup Quarterfinals against Club América at GEODIS Park on April 07, 2026 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - APRIL 07: A general view of Geodis Park prior to the CONCACAF Champions Cup Quarterfinals between Nashville SC and Club América on April 07, 2026 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images)
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Apr 7, 2026; Nashville, TN, USA; Nashville SC midfielder Hany Mukhtar (10) shoots the ball through the legs of Club America midfielder Rodrigo Dourado (17) in an attempt to score during their Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinal match at Geodis Park. Mandatory Credit: Alan Poizner-Imagn Images
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Apr 7, 2026; Nashville, TN, USA; Nashville SC midfielder Hany Mukhtar (10) shoots the ball through the legs of Club America midfielder Rodrigo Dourado (17) in an attempt to score during their Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinal match at Geodis Park. Mandatory Credit: Alan Poizner-Imagn Images
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NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - APRIL 07: Hany Mukhtar #10 of Nashville SC reacts to a play during the first half of the CONCACAF Champions Cup Quarterfinals against América at GEODIS Park on April 07, 2026 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images)
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NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - APRIL 07: Reed Baker-Whiting #27 of Nashville SC heads the ball on net during the first half of the CONCACAF Champions Cup Quarterfinals against América at GEODIS Park on April 07, 2026 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images)
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NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - APRIL 07: Cristian Espinoza #7 of Nashville SC reacts to a play during the first half of the CONCACAF Champions Cup Quarterfinals against Club América at GEODIS Park on April 07, 2026 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images)
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Apr 7, 2026; Nashville, TN, USA; Nashville SC forward Sam Surridge (9) looks to pass the ball during their Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinal match against Club America at Geodis Park. Mandatory Credit: Alan Poizner-Imagn Images
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Apr 7, 2026; Nashville, TN, USA; Nashville SC midfielder Cristian Espinoza (7) drives the ball as Club America defender Miguel Vazquez (32) approaches him during their Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinal match at Geodis Park. Mandatory Credit: Alan Poizner-Imagn Images
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Apr 7, 2026; Nashville, TN, USA; Nashville SC midfielder Hany Mukhtar (10) dribbles the ball past Club America midfielder Erick Sanchez (28) during their Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinal match at Geodis Park. Mandatory Credit: Alan Poizner-Imagn Images
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NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - APRIL 07: Cristian Espinoza #7 of Nashville SC reacts to a play during the first half of the CONCACAF Champions Cup Quarterfinals against Club América at GEODIS Park on April 07, 2026 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images)
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NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - APRIL 07: A general view of Geodis Park prior to the CONCACAF Champions Cup Quarterfinals between Nashville SC and Club América on April 07, 2026 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images)
MORE: Why Nashville SC is banking on experience for second leg vs Club America
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Callaghan coached at Azteca in 2022 when he was an assistant with the United States men's national team. The USMNT tied Mexico 0-0 in a qualifier for the FIFA World Cup, a rare American success story. Overall, the USMNT is 1-9-3 against Mexico at Azteca, with the lone victory coming in a 2012 friendly. That friendly is the only time in 29 matches the United States has ever beaten Mexico on Mexican soil.
MLS teams have fared little better. As a whole, the league has six wins, 18 draws and 72 losses when playing in Mexico, all of those matches coming in the CONCACAF Champions Cup or Champions League, its previous iteration. Liga MX sides have advanced 41 of 51 times when they host the final leg of a CCC or CCL series.
What makes it so difficult? Liga MX, which was founded in 1943, is widely considered the stronger league. That's understandable, considering it has a 53-year head start on MLS. In addition, many of Mexico's best clubs are based at high altitude: half the league's teams play at stadiums at least a mile above sea level. Azteca's elevation is 7,200 feet â 2,000 higher than the highest MLS stadium, the Colorado Rapids' Dick's Sporting Goods' Park.
At high altitude, lower atmospheric pressure forces oxygen molecules in the air further apart. This means there's less available for breathing. At Azteca's elevation, the effective oxygen percentage of the air is around 16%, nearly 25% less than at sea level. That's bound to take its toll over the course of a 90-minute match, especially for MLS teams, who play the vast majority of games at 1,000 feet or below.
"We've been very proactive with our high performance and medical team leading in once we knew we would be going there," Callaghan said. "This group is a really diligent, professional group of guys in that locker room. We don't have to force anything. They take care of themselves."
Azteca, which reopened in March after two years of renovations, has a capacity of 87,253, which will make it by far the largest Nashville has ever played in. The stadium hosted World Cup finals in 1970 and 1986, but is perhaps more famous for a 1986 quarterfinal match between Argentina and England in which Diego Maradona scored two of the most famous goals ever: the "Hand of God" and the "Goal of the Century."
"It's more about appreciation," said defender Maxwell Woledzi. "Appreciating where I started, the boy who started playing on a dust pitch. ... Right now, I'm just looking forward and happy to be there. I'm just going to picture it like I'm playing in Nashville's stadium."
Added goalkeeper Brian Schwake: "That's why you play the sport, to play in historic stadiums like that. Obviously, Maradona did the 'Hand of God' there. It's pretty unique, big stadium, big atmosphere. It's gonna be really special.â
Jacob Shames can be reached by email at jshames@gannett.com and on X/Twitter @Jacob_Shames.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville SC preparing for Estadio Azteca challenge against Club América
Nashville SC has never won a competitive match at Estadio Azteca, where MLS teams have a 0-5-1 record against Club América.
The second leg is scheduled for April 14 at 10:30 p.m. CT.
Nashville SC must win or draw with a score of 1-1 or greater to advance due to the away goals tiebreaker.
Club América is 5-0-1 against MLS teams at Estadio Azteca, showcasing their dominance at this venue.
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