{"id":897931,"date":"2026-04-09T12:13:14","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T17:13:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/09\/charlotte-fc-vs-nashville-sc-everything-to-know-for-walmart-saturday-showdown-mlssoccer-com\/"},"modified":"2026-04-09T12:13:14","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T17:13:14","slug":"charlotte-fc-vs-nashville-sc-everything-to-know-for-walmart-saturday-showdown-mlssoccer-com","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/09\/charlotte-fc-vs-nashville-sc-everything-to-know-for-walmart-saturday-showdown-mlssoccer-com\/","title":{"rendered":"Charlotte FC vs. Nashville SC: Everything to know for Walmart Saturday Showdown | MLSSoccer.com"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Soccer <\/p>\n<article xmlns:xlink=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\">\n<div>\n<div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/clubs\/charlotte-fc\/\">Charlotte FC<\/a> host Eastern Conference leaders <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/clubs\/nashville-sc\/\">Nashville SC<\/a> in a battle for first place during Matchday 7&#8217;s Walmart Saturday Showdown.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<p><h3>How to watch &#038; stream<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<p><h3>When<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/competitions\/mls-regular-season\/2026\/matches\/cltvsnsh-04-11-2026\/\">Saturday, April 11<\/a>\u00a0| 7:30 pm ET\/4:30 pm PT<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p><h3>Where<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<ul>\n<li>Bank of America Stadium | Charlotte, North Carolina<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<p><strong>Record<\/strong><\/p>\n<div>\n<ul>\n<li>3rd in Eastern Conference<\/li>\n<li>11 points, 3W-1L-2D<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p><strong>What to know<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Charlotte have found their form after a slow start, going undefeated in four straight home games.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>That includes a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/competitions\/mls-regular-season\/2026\/matches\/cltvsrbny-03-21-2026\">6-1 dismantling<\/a> of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/clubs\/red-bull-new-york\">Red Bull New York<\/a> before the March international break, followed by a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/competitions\/mls-regular-season\/2026\/matches\/cltvsphi-04-04-2026\">2-1 victory<\/a> over the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/clubs\/philadelphia-union\">Philadelphia Union<\/a> last weekend. Star Designated Player <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/players\/wilfried-zaha\/\">Wilfried Zaha<\/a> scored in both matches, highlighted by the game-winning goal against Philly.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>However, Zaha is suspended for Saturday due to yellow card accumulation.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Can Charlotte close out their five-game home stand with another win despite missing their marquee man?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Who to watch<\/strong><\/p>\n<div>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Pep Biel:<\/strong> After producing a team-best 22 goal contributions (10g\/12a) last season, the Spaniard remains Charlotte&#8217;s most dangerous attacking threat with 4g\/2a in 2026.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li><strong>Idan Toklomati:<\/strong> Charlotte&#8217;s top scorer last year has 2g\/1a this season, all in the previous four games.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Tim Ream:<\/strong> The veteran center back is eyeing a spot on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/clubs\/us-men-s-national-team\/\">USMNT<\/a>&#8216;s 2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/competitions\/fifa-world-cup\/\">FIFA World Cup<\/a> squad.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Kristijan Kahlina:<\/strong> The 2024 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year has made an MLS-best 32 saves this season.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Ashley Westwood:<\/strong> The former Premier League midfielder wears the captain&#8217;s armband for Charlotte. He recently reached 100 regular-season appearances for the club.<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p><strong>Predicted XI<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Who will fill in for Zaha? Fellow DP winger <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/players\/liel-abada\/\">Liel Abada<\/a> appears the most likely candidate. The Israeli international is looking for his first goal of 2026.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<p><strong>Record<\/strong><\/p>\n<div>\n<ul>\n<li>1st in Eastern Conference<\/li>\n<li>13 points, 4W-1L-1D<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p><strong>What to know<\/strong><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Nashville have turned heads in 2026, setting the tone in the Eastern Conference behind their DP trio of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/players\/hany-mukhtar\/\">Hany Mukhtar<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/players\/sam-surridge\/\">Sam Surridge<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/players\/cristian-espinoza\/\">Cristian Espinoza<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Espinoza arrived over the winter via free agency. The Argentine playmaker has produced 2g\/3a in league play and scored the series-clinching goal in their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/competitions\/concacaf-champions-cup\/\">Concacaf Champions Cup<\/a> Round of 16\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/competitions\/concacaf-champions-cup\/news\/nashville-sc-oust-inter-miami-cf-in-concacaf-champions-cup\">upset<\/a> of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/players\/lionel-messi\/\">Lionel Messi<\/a> &#038; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/clubs\/inter-miami-cf\/\">Inter Miami CF<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, Surridge has scored seven goals and co-leads the Golden Boot presented by Audi race alongside <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/clubs\/fc-dallas\/\">FC Dallas<\/a> striker <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/players\/petar-musa\">Petar Musa<\/a>. Mukhtar, who has scored 15+ goals in four of the past five seasons, has 2g\/1a thus far.<\/p>\n<p>Nashville are looking to bounce back from their first league loss of the year last weekend, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/competitions\/mls-regular-season\/2026\/matches\/chivsnsh-04-04-2026\">1-0 defeat<\/a> at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/clubs\/chicago-fire-fc\">Chicago Fire FC<\/a>. They&#8217;re also juggling a CCC quarterfinal series with Club Am\u00e9rica, and settled for a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/competitions\/concacaf-champions-cup\/2026\/matches\/nshvsame-04-07-2026\/\">0-0 draw<\/a> Tuesday evening in Leg 1.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Who to watch<\/strong><\/p>\n<div>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Hany Mukhtar:<\/strong> The 2022 Landon Donovan MLS MVP and four-time MLS All-Star is approaching 100 goals (all competitions) for Nashville. He&#8217;s currently on 96 career tallies.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Sam Surridge:<\/strong> Last season&#8217;s Golden Boot runner-up has a league-high seven goals through five matches. He was named the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/news\/nashville-sc-sam-surridge-player-of-the-month-february-march-2026\">MLS Player of the Month<\/a> for February and March.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cristian Espinoza:<\/strong> After starring for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/clubs\/san-jose-earthquakes\/\">San Jose Earthquakes<\/a>, Espinoza has helped the 2025 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/competitions\/u-s-open-cup\">US Open Cup<\/a> champions find another level.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Patrick Yazbek:<\/strong> The Australian international has emerged as a key piece of Nashville&#8217;s midfield. His sights are on featuring at this summer&#8217;s World Cup.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li><strong>Maxwell Woledzi:<\/strong> Acquired in the offseason from Norwegian top-flight side Fredrikstad FK, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/players\/maxwell-woledzi\/\">Woledzi<\/a> has been a near-seamless replacement for club legend\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/players\/walker-zimmerman\/\">Walker Zimmerman<\/a>. He&#8217;s helped Nashville concede an Eastern Conference-low three goals.<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p><strong>Predicted XI<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Will head coach B.J. Callaghan rotate his squad amid their CCC quarterfinal series? Nashville have Leg 2 in Mexico City next Tuesday.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Charlotte have turned Bank of America Stadium into a fortress under head coach Dean Smith, going 25W-6L-7D at home (regular season) under the Englishman. The Crown feed off their fan support, likely giving them an extra boost as Nashville have one eye on Leg 2 of their Concacaf Champions Cup series vs. LIGA MX powerhouse Club Am\u00e9rica.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/news\/charlotte-fc-vs-nashville-sc-everything-to-know-walmart-saturday-showdown-md7-2026\" class=\"button purchase\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Read More<\/a>Erasmo Redner<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Soccer Charlotte FC host Eastern Conference leaders Nashville SC in a battle for first place during Matchday 7&#8217;s Walmart Saturday Showdown. How to watch &#038; stream When Saturday, April 11\u00a0| 7:30 pm ET\/4:30 pm PT Where Bank of America Stadium | Charlotte, North Carolina Record 3rd in Eastern Conference 11 points, 3W-1L-2D What to know [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":897932,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[659,4450,2005],"tags":[10086,6562],"class_list":{"0":"post-897931","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-charlotte","8":"category-nashville","9":"category-soccer","10":"tag-charlotte","11":"tag-nashville"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/897931","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=897931"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/897931\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/897932"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=897931"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=897931"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=897931"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}