Nashville SC

Team information

Inaugural season: 2020

Home field: Geodis Park

Owner: John Ingram, Leonard Wilf, Mark Wilf, Zygi Wilf

Team colors: Electric gold, acoustic blue

Overview

Nashville Soccer Club (SC) is a franchise of Major League Soccer (MLS) in the Eastern Conference. MLS launched in 1996 with teams in ten cities. Over the years, the professional league expanded by adding franchises in other cities. As of 2024 MLS comprised twenty-nine teams.

The team is based in Nashville, Tennessee. The MLS franchise was granted to the city in 2017 but is not the first club of that name in Nashville. The previous team, which was part of the United Soccer League (USL), had been founded in 2016 but dissolved in 2019. To get the franchise, the city agreed to partner with MLS in building a new stadium, Geodis Park, which opened in 2022. In October 2021, the club broke ground on the construction of a new training facility in Antioch, 10 miles southeast of downtown Nashville.

History

Nashville was home to a soccer club, the Nashville Metros, that was founded in 1989. The Metros comprised both outdoor and indoor teams. The outdoor team began play as a member of the Sunbelt Independent Soccer League. It had various affiliations until 2002, when it became a member of the USL Premier Development League of the Eastern Conference’s South Atlantic Division, and for a time due to financial troubles, it was known as the Tennessee Rhythm. Its last season was in 2012.

Next up was Nashville Football Club (FC), founded by Chris Jones, a Nashville banker. Jones was a fan of English Premier League (EPL) football, the top tier of the English soccer league system. He noticed the camaraderie enjoyed by fans of the Seattle Sounders FC of MLS. When the Metros franchise closed, he and friend Robby Johnston decided that the city needed a new fan-managed team. Jones looked at the ownership structures of various teams, including American football and soccer teams. He began building support, including financial support, during his lunch breaks and late at night. People began buying $40 ownership stakes, which included a vote on development issues.

Nashville FC, composed of friends in mismatched T-shirts, played its first match in a local tournament in 2013. The following year, the club was a member of the fourth-tier National Premier Soccer League (NPSL). Its first game, played at Vanderbilt Stadium, drew more than 1,800 fans. The founders hoped to work up to joining the USL, but an ownership group separately pursuing a USL franchise was awarded the Nashville franchise and worked to purchase the existing team. The investors sat down with the community of Nashville FC owners to talk about each side’s hopes and what would please both sides. Jones said most were excited about the growth potential but wanted to retain the camaraderie on which the team had been founded. Two votes saw greater than 90 percent approval for selling the club. The new owners changed the crest and the name, dubbing it Nashville SC. The fans who had purchased ownership stakes in the early days still had a small stake in the club and collectively held one voting seat on the board.

The process was repeated when businessperson John Ingram wanted to buy the team and make it an MLS franchise. Nashville was one of multiple cities seeking an expansion franchise in late 2016 and early 2017. Ingram’s involvement was seen as a big plus. The Tennessee capital edged out the other contenders with Mayor Megan Barry’s promise of working with the team’s owners and contributing toward the construction of a new stadium at the Nashville Fairgrounds site. Until that time, the club would play home matches at the Nissan Stadium, home of the Tennessee Titans. In late 2017, the city council approved bond funding for the project and in December Nashville SC was named the twenty-fourth MLS club. Founder Jones became the club’s senior director of fan engagement. In addition to Ingram, the Wilf family, owner of the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings, was an investor.

However, two years after reaching the agreement and MLS awarding the franchise, construction on the new facility had not begun. Even demolition of existing structures had not taken place. The delay was attributed to multiple issues, including news that the facility would cost at least $50 million more than originally planned. Community groups opposed to losing the fairgrounds filed lawsuits to stop construction. Further, in September 2019, new mayor John Cooper took office. Cooper did not support the stadium project and refused to approve the demolition needed to prepare for construction. He said the city needed to invest in other areas, including education and public safety. However, he also was in talks with NASCAR and discussing redeveloping a speedway at the Fairgrounds, according to Sports Illustrated. By February 2020, days before the start of the season, Nashville SC and Cooper had reached an agreement. He authorized the demolition and work began on the site.

The club collaborated with Nashville-based band Judah & the Lion and The Backline Supporters’ Collective on an official anthem. “Never Give Up on You” was released on February 20, 2020, nine days before the start of the season. The artists said they were inspired by “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” the anthem of Liverpool FC. The Assembly, one of six recognized supporters’ groups, is run by some of the club’s founding members.

Nashville SC nearly sold out the stadium for the inaugural 2020 season opener. Nashville SC lost its first two games against Atlanta (February 29) and Portland (March 8). The first season was interrupted almost as soon as it started by the global COVID-19 pandemic. The team did not play a match again until August 12. Nashville finished the regular season with an 8-8-7 record and made the conference semifinals in November but lost the match, finishing thirteenth in the league. Nashville finished the 2021 regular season with a record of 12-18-4 in sixth place.

Nashville SC revealed its first MLS jersey in January 2020 at the city’s Wildhorse Saloon. The gold jersey included the logo of its official sponsor, Renasant Bank. The crest is a stylized N meant to indicate sound waves as homage to Nashville’s nickname, Music City, and its significance in the music industry. The crest was placed on the left side over the player’s heart. Another important feature is the three stars from the Tennessee state flag, which represent the state’s geographic divisions, East Tennessee, Middle Tennessee, and West Tennessee. The mascot, Tempo the Coyote, was revealed in January 2021.

Gary Smith was named head coach on March 6, 2019. Prior to the start of the inaugural season, the club announced that Steve Guppy and Brett Jacobs had come aboard as assistants and Matt Pickens joined as goalkeeper coach. Smith led Nashville to the Eastern Conference Semifinals of the playoffs in 2020. Nashville had an unbeaten home streak of nine matches and a home record of five wins, two losses, and five draws. In April 2021, the club extended Smith’s contract through the 2023 season. As of 2024, Smith remained head coach.

Smith is a former EPL professional player. He began his pro career in 1985 when he progressed from Fulham youth play to senior-level play. He ended his injury-plagued career in 1997 playing for Aylesbury United and managed and scouted in the EPL. He joined MLS as interim head coach of the Colorado Rapids in late 2008 and was appointed manager in 2009. He led the club to winning the 2010 MLS Cup, its first major trophy, but Colorado did not renew his contract in late 2011. He next coached Stevenage FC in English League One and the North American Soccer League’s Atlanta Silverbacks FC.

Notable players

Midfielder Hany Mukhtar is notable for being the first designated player in club history. Designated players occupy the top salary level of the league. Nashville lured the German defender from his club in Denmark. He had a solid inaugural season and a stellar 2021. He led the club in assists, goals, shots, and shots on target in the second season.

Walker Zimmerman was the 2020 MLS defender of the year and a 2021 all-star. He was a 2021 defender of the year candidate nearing the close of the season.

In November 2021 three Nashville SC players were finalists for the MLS End of the Year Awards. Mukhtar was a finalist for the Landon Donovan MVP, Zimmerman was in contention for MLS Defender of the Year, and Joe Willis was in the running for Allstate Goalkeeper of the Year.

Some of the young club’s athletes have been called up to represent their home countries in the FIFA World Cup. Aníbal Godoy of Panama, Randall Leal of Costa Rica, and Alistair Johnston of Canada were among players called up in 2021 for FIFA World Cup Qualifying.

Bibliography

“2021 Nashville SC Stats.” FB Ref, Nov. 2024, fbref.com/en/squads/35f1b818/Nashville-SC-Stats. Accessed 21 Mar. 2024.

Butler, Dylan. “Nashville SC Break Ground on New Training Facility.” Major League Soccer, 5 Oct. 2021, www.mlssoccer.com/news/nashville-sc-break-ground-on-new-training-facility. Accessed 21 Mar. 2024.

Jones, J. Sam. “Nashville SC’s Journey from Supporter-Owned Club to MLS Expansion Team.” Major League Soccer News, 28 Feb. 2020, www.mlssoccer.com/news/nashville-sc-journey-supporter-owned-club-mls-expansion-team. Accessed 21 Mar. 2024.

McCann, Michael. “Nashville SC, MLS’s Legal and Political Battle Intensifies over Stadium Dispute with Mayor.” Sports Illustrated, 11 Feb. 2020, www.si.com/soccer/2020/02/11/nashville-mls-stadium-plan-battle-mayor-cooper. Accessed 21 Mar. 2024.

“Metros.” Nashville Soccer Archive, 2024, nashvillesoccerarchive.com/nashville-metros. Accessed 21 Mar. 2024.

Nashville SC Communications. “Nashville SC Unveils First Major League Soccer Jersey.” Nashville Soccer Club, 18 Jan. 2020, www.nashvillesc.com/news/nashville-sc-unveils-first-major-league-soccer-jersey. Accessed 21 Mar. 2024.

“Nashville Soccer Club Earns Three Finalists for 2021 MLS End-of-Year Awards.” Nashville Soccer Club, 15 Nov. 2021, www.nashvillesc.com/news/nashville-soccer-club-earns-three-finalists-for-2021-mls-end-of-year-awards. Accessed 21 Mar. 2024.

“Stadium.” Nashville Soccer Club, 2024, www.nashvillesc.com/stadium/. Accessed 21 Mar. 2024.