Nashville SC

• 1. Introduction

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  Nashville SC is a professional soccer club based in Nashville, Tennessee, and a member of Major League Soccer's Eastern Conference. On the 10th of February 2018, the club played its first game ever, a preseason match against Atlanta United FC. Rain fell through the entire contest, and Atlanta won 3-1 in front of 9,059 spectators.

  Just over two years later, Nashville hosted Atlanta United again, this time for its first official MLS match. On the 29th of February 2020, at Nissan Stadium, 59,069 fans packed the stands, the largest crowd ever to watch a soccer match in Tennessee. Walker Zimmerman scored Nashville's first MLS goal that night, though the club lost 2-1.

  Between those two games against the same opponent sits a much longer story. That story runs from amateur organizers modeling themselves on an English fan club. It continues through a business coalition chasing an MLS bid, and ends with an ownership group led by businessman John Ingram. How did a supporters group inspired by an English fan-owned club help seed a Major League Soccer franchise? Why does the team now play inside the largest soccer-specific stadium in the country? And why has one particular rival haunted nearly every deep playoff run the club has made?

• 2. Grassroots Before MLS

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  The Nashville Diamonds played a single season in the second-division American Soccer League in 1982, decades before anyone in the city imagined a top-flight franchise. Professional soccer in Nashville stayed mostly amateur after that. The Nashville Metros competed from 1989 until 2012. Two NCAA Division I programs, the Belmont Bruins and the Lipscomb Bisons, kept college soccer alive in the city. The Vanderbilt Commodores also fielded a Division I men's team until the program ended after the 2005 season.

  In February 2014, two supporters' groups merged into a single club, Nashville FC, ahead of that year's NPSL season. Chris Jones, the club's president, pointed to the English side F.C. United of Manchester as his direct inspiration for a fan-owned model. Nashville FC partnered with the Tennessee State Soccer Association, an organization with more than 20,000 registered players across Middle Tennessee. The club also fielded two teams in the Middle Tennessee Soccer Alliance, the region's largest competitive adult league, and played its matches at Vanderbilt Stadium.

  Nashville FC's own roadmap set an ambitious target: reach the third-tier United Soccer League by 2017. The next goal was climbing into the second-tier North American Soccer League by 2020. That NPSL ambition was still being chased when a very different opportunity, a full Major League Soccer bid, arrived in Nashville.

• 3. Building The Franchise

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  In 2016, the United Soccer League awarded a franchise to a new Nashville ownership group, creating Nashville SC. Nashville FC, the existing NPSL club, sold its team name, logo, and color scheme to the new franchise. In exchange, Nashville FC received a 1 percent equity stake in the USL team and a voting seat on its board.

  In August 2016, a group of Nashville business leaders led by Bill Hagerty formed the Nashville MLS Organizing Committee. Their goal was securing funding for a new MLS stadium. The committee backed the newly awarded Nashville SC, which began USL play in 2018, and both groups worked toward growing the sport in Tennessee. Former 2010 MLS Cup winning coach Gary Smith was announced as Nashville SC's first manager in April 2017. In October 2017, the committee unveiled plans for a new stadium and redevelopment project, which the city approved that November.

  The formal bid to add an MLS franchise to Nashville began in January 2017. On the 4th of March 2017, businessman John Ingram bought a majority stake in DMD Soccer, Nashville SC's ownership group, under Nashville Holdings LLC. Ingram also led the MLS bid itself, presenting a united front after Nashville became one of ten finalist cities for four expansion slots. Major League Soccer awarded Nashville an expansion team on the 20th of December 2017, with the club set to join the league in 2020. Mike Jacobs and Ian Ayre were named the team's first general manager and chief executive.

  Nashville SC finished fourth in the Eastern Conference during its first USL Championship season in 2018, then lost to Indy Eleven in the Conference Semifinals. In 2019, its final season in the USL Championship, Nashville finished second in the Eastern Conference regular season. The club again reached the Conference Semifinals, this time falling to Indy Eleven 1-0 in front of 4,174 fans at First Horizon Park. Gary Smith, hired to lead the club into the top flight, would remain in that job through Nashville's first several MLS seasons.

• 4. On The Field In MLS

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  On the 12th of March 2020, after only two matches, Major League Soccer suspended its season for thirty days because of the COVID-19 pandemic. That suspension was later extended until the 10th of May. MLS announced the MLS is Back Tournament on the 10th of June, but Nashville could not take part after multiple players tested positive for COVID-19. The club's next match came on the 12th of August, a win over FC Dallas. Nashville finished the 2020 regular season with a record of 8-8-7 and 32 points.

  Nashville entered the MLS Cup playoffs through the play-in round, beating Inter Miami 3-0. The club then knocked out Toronto FC 1-0 in the first round. Columbus Crew, the eventual champions, eliminated Nashville in the Conference Semifinals in extra time.

  The 2021 team built its identity on defense, conceding a tied league-leading 33 goals across the season while going undefeated at home. The squad also tied a league record for draws in a season, with 18. Nashville returned to the playoffs but was again eliminated in the Conference Semifinals, this time by Philadelphia Union in a penalty shootout.

  Hany Mukhtar won both the Landon Donovan MVP award and the Golden Boot in 2022, after finishing as an MVP finalist the year before. He led the league with 34 goal contributions, nearly two thirds of Nashville's goals that season. The club reached the playoffs for a third consecutive year but was eliminated in the first round by the LA Galaxy.

  The 2023 season produced a similar record: thirteen wins in the regular season. Nashville was again eliminated in the first round, this time by Orlando City. The 2024 season was a letdown: only nine wins, a 13th-place finish in the East, and no playoff berth. Nashville started that year with three wins, four losses, and five draws before firing manager Gary Smith. Rumba Munthali served as interim coach until the 3rd of July, when B.J. Callaghan was hired as the next head coach.

  By the 26th of April 2025, Nashville began an unbeaten streak that would stretch fifteen matches. It lasted until the 12th of July, one of the longest such runs in MLS history. The season ended with a club-best 16 wins and 58 goals scored. Even so, Nashville lost in three games of the first round of the 2025 playoffs, again to Inter Miami. For all that regular-season success, Nashville still had not lifted a major trophy, a drought a different competition was about to end.

• 5. The Messi Final

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  The inaugural Leagues Cup in 2023 pitted MLS clubs against opponents from Liga MX, the top level of Mexican football. Nashville made a historic run to the final, eliminating FC Cincinnati, Club América, Minnesota United, and C.F. Monterrey along the way. Newly signed Lionel Messi and Inter Miami awaited in the final at Geodis Park. Nashville lost the match in the 11th round of penalties.

  Sam Surridge, an English striker signed from Nottingham Forest, played his first game for Nashville against Club América in that tournament. He scored the equalizing goal in the 99th minute, sending the match to penalties.

  In 2024, Nashville was drawn into East 5 of the Leagues Cup group stage, alongside the New England Revolution and Mazatlán FC. The club failed to beat either opponent and did not qualify for the round of 16. Nashville did not qualify for the 2025 Leagues Cup, since qualification depended on reaching the 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs. The club did qualify for the 2026 edition, where it will face Club León, Atlético San Luis, and CF Monterrey in the Eastern 2 grouping.

  That run to the final was also the result that first qualified Nashville for a new continental tournament, the CONCACAF Champions Cup.

• 6. The Open Cup Breakthrough

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  Dating back to 1913, the U.S. Open Cup stands as the oldest national soccer tournament in the country. Nashville's first berth came in 2018, while the club still played in the USL. It opened the second round with a 2-0 win over crosstown rivals Inter Nashville FC, then beat Premier Development League side Mississippi Brilla 3-1. In the fourth round, Nashville upset MLS side Colorado Rapids 2-0 on a Colorado own goal in the 38th minute. It was the club's first win over an MLS opponent. The run ended with a 2-1 loss to USL rival Louisville City FC at Lynn Family Stadium.

  In 2019, Nashville played its Open Cup matches on the Middle Tennessee State University campus, its first home games outside Davidson County. The club outlasted South Georgia Tormenta FC 2 for a 3-2 win. Still on the MTSU campus, Nashville then hosted USL side Charleston Battery and lost 3-0 on penalties after a 1-1 draw through extra time.

  Nashville first qualified for the Open Cup as an MLS club in 2020, but the tournament was cancelled because of the pandemic. The club's first appearance came in 2022, opening with a win over defending champions Atlanta United in the round of 32 after trailing 2-0. Nashville beat Louisville City FC in the round of 16, then lost to Orlando City SC on penalties in the quarterfinals.

  Nashville beat San Antonio FC 1-0 and FC Dallas 2-0 in the 2023 tournament, before losing to Inter Miami 2-1 in the round of 16.

  The 2025 Open Cup became the most important tournament in the club's history. Nashville squeezed past in-state USL League One side Chattanooga Red Wolves SC 1-0 in the round of 32. Josh Bauer scored the lone goal in the 27th minute. The club then won on the road against Orlando City SC in an Open Cup rematch, 2-3. The goal came from an own goal by Rodrigo Schlegel in the 23rd minute. Nashville returned home to face DC United and fell behind 2-0. The deficit came from a 5th-minute goal and an own goal by Jack Maher in the 24th minute. The club responded a minute later through Jonathan Pérez, then added four more unanswered goals to win 5-2 and reach its first Open Cup semifinal. Nashville then eliminated Philadelphia Union 3-1 behind a hat trick from Sam Surridge. It reached its first Open Cup final, and its first final in any tournament since the 2023 Leagues Cup. In that final, Nashville beat Austin FC 2-1 on a Surridge penalty in the 60th minute. Surridge was then shown a red card in the 96th minute. The win was the club's first championship, and the first championship for any major professional team in the state of Tennessee.

  That championship did more than end the trophy drought. It also earned Nashville a return trip to the CONCACAF Champions Cup, this time as U.S. Open Cup winners rather than Leagues Cup runners-up.

• 7. Chasing Continental Glory

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  Nashville opened its first Champions Cup campaign with a 7-0 aggregate win over the Dominican Republic's Moca FC. In the round of 16, the club met Inter Miami in a rematch of the Leagues Cup final. Nashville built a 2-0 lead in the home leg, but Miami fought back to tie it 2-2. In the away leg at Chase Stadium, Miami won 3-1 to eliminate Nashville from the tournament.

  The next Champions Cup campaign began against Canadian Premier League champion Atlético Ottawa. Because Atlético's home ground, TD Place, was under renovation, the away leg was played at Hamilton Stadium in Hamilton, Ontario, where Nashville won 2-0. The club then won the home leg 5-0 to eliminate Ottawa and advance to the round of 16.

  Inter Miami awaited again in the round of 16, and the first leg finished scoreless at 0-0 inside Geodis Park. In the away leg, Lionel Messi scored his 900th career goal in the 7th minute. Cristian Espinoza answered in the 74th minute, tying the aggregate at 1-1 and sending Nashville through on away goals.

  The quarterfinal brought Club América, a side Nashville had never lost to. The two clubs had previously drawn 3-3 in a friendly, and Nashville had advanced on penalties after a 2-2 draw in the 2023 Leagues Cup. The first leg finished 0-0, the third scoreless draw between the sides in a row. In the second leg in Mexico City, Hany Mukhtar scored the only goal of a 1-0 aggregate win. Nashville became the first MLS team to win a competitive match at the historic Estadio Azteca.

  UANL Tigres, from the Monterrey metropolitan area, ended Nashville's run in the next round. The club was missing Sam Surridge, Tasgeth, and Yazbek to injury, and lost 0-2 on aggregate. It was Nashville's furthest advance in Champions Cup history to that point.

  Nashville's run through Mexico City and Hamilton, Ontario played out under a nickname the club had already made its own, the Boys in Gold. That name refers to colors with a story of their own.

• 8. Crest, Colors And Home

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  Nashville SC's first crest carried over the blue and yellow colors of the old Nashville FC badge, before trademark issues forced a change. The team revealed a different logo and a new name, Nashville SC. At the center of the updated white and blue circular badge sat a yellow stylized N, crossed under six stripes meant to evoke guitar strings. The letters SC were worked into the circle around it.

  Under Armour supplied Nashville's kit from 2018 to 2019, with Nissan as shirt sponsor during that period. Adidas took over as kit manufacturer from 2020 onward, with Renasant Bank as shirt sponsor and Hyundai as sleeve sponsor.

  The Roadies, Nashville's original organized supporter group, formed in February 2014 alongside the founding of Nashville FC. As the club moved from NPSL amateur status to USL professional status and finally to MLS, the Roadies stayed loyal through each transition. Their rallying cry remained the same: Our Town, Our Club.

  Geodis Park seats 30,000 fans and stands as the largest soccer-specific stadium in the United States. The $275 million project was funded mostly by revenue bonds from Nashville's city government, under an agreement the Metro Council approved in November 2017. On the 4th of September 2018, the council formally approved the stadium by a vote of 31 to 8, amid mixed public opinion. A separate proposal to send the funding plan to a public referendum was rejected, 25 votes to 12.

  In January 2019, U.S. Representative John Rose of Cookeville led the nonprofit that runs the Tennessee State Fair in a lawsuit to halt construction. The suit argued the stadium would not leave enough space for the fair's functions. The following month, Rose and the nonprofit dropped the suit, saying city officials would not meet with them while it was pending. Demolition of the fairgrounds site began in March 2020.

  On the 13th of February 2020, an amended agreement, reached with the help of Nashville Mayor John Cooper, made the stadium 100 percent privately funded. The team also agreed to fund $19 million in nearby infrastructure improvements. Before Geodis Park, Nashville played primarily at First Tennessee Park during its USL years, then at Nissan Stadium for its first two MLS seasons. Seating capacity there was limited because of the pandemic.

  The technical staff B.J. Callaghan now leads includes assistant coaches John Bello and Michael Nsien, goalkeeping coach Danny Cepero, and chief scout Luke Sassano. That group is now tasked with building whatever Nashville SC becomes next.