April 14 – A Hany Mukhtar goal early in the second half was enough to send Nashville into the Champions Cup semi-finals and end the run of a stunned Club América on their return to their revamped Azteca Stadium.
Going into the second leg of the tie with the aggregate level at 0-0, Club América were favourites to progress as they pursued a record eight title.
Nashville under BJ Callaghan are the first MLS team to ever win at the Azteca.
Nashville started the brighter of the two side with Mukhtar hitting a right footed shot from outside the box over the top on 7 minutes and two minutes later, Cristian Espinoza missing to the left with a long range shot.
It took until the 21st minute for América to have a shot on goal and it was inevitably the mercurial Alejandro Zendejas who provided it with left footed shot from the right side of the box that was saved in the bottom right corner by Brian Schwake. Schwake was to go on to have another solid evening between the Nashville posts.
A minute after the save from Zendejas, Schwake stopped an Érick Sánchez right footed shot from outside the box.
The half saw the balance in favour of Club América but a lack of cutting edge in the box was again evident. Nashville comfortably absorbed the pressure in their own half and looked dangerous on the break.
It was a lethal counter attack that broke the deadlock six minutes into the second half with Espinosa setting Mukhtar free to hammer in a right footed shot from the right side of the box.
With the away goal against them, América had to score twice and to do that they had to increase their intensity.
After a few minutes of mental re-adjustment they began to push harder. Zendejas had a shot blocked on the hour mark while Schwake saved from Raphael Veiga minutes later. Brian Rodríguez loosed one from outside the box that was just over the bar.
América were at last showing the urgency going forward that their fans had been baying for.
With both coaches working their benches with five changes each Callaghan set up more defensively while André Jardine tried to inject more attacking incisiveness.
As the clock moving into the last 10 minutes so América threw everything they had at the MLS side.
Veiga, Israel Reyes, Rodríguez (twice), Miguel Vázquez, and Alan Cervantes all missed chances.
In the fifth minute of added time Vázquez headed over but it was too little too late.
Nashville progress to the semi finals where they will meet either Tigres UANL or the Seattle Sounders.
Club América 0 Nashville SC 1 (0-1 on aggregate)