Hey folks! Joe Lowery here. I head up Backheeled – you may already know about us, thanks to the magnificent Ben Wright, who does great work here at SixOneFive and for Backheeled.
If not, here’s the rundown: Backheeled covers MLS in real depth every week. We’re currently in the midst of publishing detailed season previews for all 30 MLS teams. And during the season? We’ll have weekly columns diving into the biggest stories from around the league, along with analysis of every club. Come subscribe and hang out with us, if you like.
Either way, here’s our 2025 season preview for Nashville SC!
Where we left off last year
2024 season: 36 points, 13th in the Eastern Conference, 25th in MLS
Last year was significant for Nashville SC, not because of the club’s regular season finish but because it marked the end of the Gary Smith era. Nashville had never known another coach in their MLS existence until BJ Callaghan was hired in July to replace Smith after an underwhelming start to 2024. Smith’s exit and Callaghan’s entrance signaled the beginning of a new approach from Nashville SC, not just on the field but also in terms of youth development and roster building.
As Nashville struggled for goals and quality ball progression last year, it only became clearer that getting new life into the club was the right decision.
For more on “Nashville SC 2.0”, check out this excellent story from my colleague Ben Wright:
Ben Wright
What changed in the offseason
Notable arrivals
- Gastón Brugman, CM: With Nashville looking for skilled central midfielders to play in BJ Callaghan’s system and the LA Galaxy looking to clear some cap space, Brugman found a new home this winter. If the 32-year-old can stay healthy, he’ll be a quality starter – Brugman was MVP of the Galaxy’s MLS Cup win and has been a statistical darling since he arrived in MLS during the 2022 season.
- Edvard Tagseth, CM: Few MLS teams scout Norway like Nashville SC, who signed Patrick Yazbek from Viking last summer and added Tagseth from Rosenborg over the offseason. Expect Tagseth to be an active on-ball presence in Callaghan’s midfield.
- Ahmed Qasem, W: We’re not accustomed to seeing Nashville take big swings on young players, but Qasem arrived for a reported $4.2 million fee. It truly is a new era. The 21-year-old winger joins from IF Elfsborg in the Swedish top-flight, where he scored six goals and added 10 assists in his 3,100 minutes over the last two years. The left-footer has a long stride, good speed, and provides a useful attacking option for Callaghan. For more on Qasem, check out this scouting report from the excellent SixOneFive Soccer crew.
- Andy Najar, RB: Continuing the theme of signings that raise Nashville SC’s ability on the ball, Najar’s return to MLS gives them a smooth, technical right back to add into the backline rotation.
- Jeisson Palacios, CB: The 30-year-old arrives from his native Colombia and should add depth and strength behind Walker Zimmerman and Jack Maher in the center of Nashville’s defense.
Notable departures
- Shaq Moore, RB: By trading Shaq Moore to Dallas, sending Sean Davis to the Galaxy (more on him in a moment), and buying out Randall Leal (more on him in a moment, too), Nashville cleared out their top three non-Designated Player earners based on last year’s salary release from the MLS Players Association. Moore never lived up to his contract in Nashville.
- Sean Davis, CM: Nashville SC sent Davis to the Galaxy in exchange for Brugman, though they’re still on the hook for paying some of the American’s salary. You won’t get a much clearer picture of Nashville’s tactical pivot than Davis, who’s at his best breaking up play, departing and Brugman arriving.
- Randall Leal, W: Outside of his promising 2021 season, Leal was never healthy or effective enough to be a difference-maker in the attack.
- Anibal Godoy, CM: With Godoy years away from being an every-game starter, Nashville declined the veteran’s contract option.
- Dru Yearwood, CM: Yearwood’s lone season in Nashville wasn’t a memorable one. His exit opens a U22 Initiative spot for the club.
Why 2025 will be a success
Because BJ Callaghan will let Hany Mukhtar do the things he’s wanted to do for years.
After being named league MVP in 2022 on the back of a 23 goal, seven assist season, Mukhtar’s production has dropped off a cliff. In 2023, he put up 24 goal contributions. Last year? He put up just 17. For Mukhtar to find himself again as Nashville’s centerpiece – and for Nashville to re-establish themselves as something of a threat in the Eastern Conference – something needed to change.
I’ll pass the mic to Mukhtar to explain what that something is:
“We are a very difficult team to play against,” the attacker said last January. “I think we have showed that over the last four years…to achieve the next level, it’s important for us to also dominate the games with the ball. We have to do the next steps in our future for the club and to bring more success.”
Mukhtar wants to play with the ball – not necessarily at Columbus Crew or Houston Dynamo levels. But he wants to be the key cog in a team that can use possession to create chances. With his control in tight spots, vision, and clever passing ability, more touches would do Mukhtar good, and Callaghan knows it. We’ll get to the tactics in more detail in just a moment, but in short: Nashville SC will be more possession-oriented in 2025 than they have at any point in their MLS existence.
Between that tactical emphasis and the midfield overhaul executed to help make that emphasis a reality, this year will be different for Mukhtar. It should be better, too. And when things are better for Mukhtar? You’d better believe they’re better for Nashville SC.
Why it won’t be
Because the attack isn’t elite and the midfield is questionable.
Even if Mukhtar roars back to life in 2025, Nashville don’t have the sheer volume of quality attacking pieces that you’d expect to see from one of the better teams in MLS.
Sam Surridge had a fine season in 2024, scoring 12 goals in 2,400 minutes, and should be expected to put up at least slightly better numbers in a more cohesive attacking system. But outside of Surridge and Mukhtar? The attack is thin. Jacob Shaffelburg is a useful player, as is Alex Muyl. Neither is a top-end wide attacking option. Tyler Boyd is working his way back from injury and hasn’t been a game-changer at any point of his career. Jonathan Perez is fun, but unproven. The same goes for Ahmed Qasem.
Really, the attack is too top-heavy for comfort – and that top isn’t strong enough to carry this team.
Elsewhere, there are legitimate question marks in the new-look midfield. Brugman is an excellent player but missed 23 games for the Galaxy last year. Patrick Yazbek and Edvard Tagseth both joined from Norway over the last two windows. Oh, and Nashville signed Bryan Acosta. Those new signings could all hit! But the odds are low.
How they’ll play
I’m passing the mic to the man in charge on this one.
“Our style of play at Nashville is going to be one that we call controlled aggression,” BJ Callaghan told media at his introductory press conference last summer. “When we're with the ball, we want to be a team that unbalances, disorganizes the opponent in the opportunity to be able to play forward, dictate the tempo, play free, and create goal scoring opportunities.”
There are coaching buzzwords aplenty in that response, but one thing is very clear: Callaghan isn’t trying to resurrect GaryBall in 2025.
I’d wager the formation is still something of a question mark for this team, though there’s been a lot of 4-2-2-2 this preseason. Exactly how Callaghan tries to get the best out of Hany Mukhtar could very much be the defining theme of this year for Nashville SC, given his attacking numbers have cratered over the last two seasons. But regardless of the specific positional alignment, I’m expecting them to look more like a possession team than any version of Nashville we’ve seen in MLS.
The best non-Designated Player
It’s fair to worry about Gaston Brugman’s durability, but the guy is a player. If he’s healthy for a big chunk of 2025, the Uruguayan could end up being the most important non-Hany Mukhtar piece of BJ Callaghan’s more possession-based system. The 32-year-old is elite at progressing the ball, can hit the final pass, and has quality defensive awareness and timing. He’s the sort of piece that makes a passing attack tick. Brugman will have a ton of responsibility at the base of Nashville’s midfield.
The young player to watch
One key part of the new era of Nashville SC is a commitment to signing and playing young players. The club is just beginning to embark on that process, and Chris Applewhite is one of the early beneficiaries. The 17-year-old center back signed a homegrown deal in January after shining for Nashville’s MLS Next Pro team. Minutes will be hard for Applewhite to come by, but he’s a player to keep tabs on.
Elsewhere, it’s Ahmed Qasem who will draw real attention this year. Believed to be the most expensive player to ever move from the Swedish Allsvenskan to MLS, Qasem showed real flashes of quality with Elfsborg. The 21-year-old needs to make quicker decisions on the ball, but has a strong left foot and some fun physical tools.
Depth chart
Vague standings prediction
Between 8th and 13th in the East.
This is, by all accounts, something of a resetting year for Nashville. Expectations should be measured and finishing near the bottom of the Eastern Conference is very much in play, but there’s also enough proven quality in this team to see them sneak into the playoff picture.
Deep-in-the-weeds prediction
Nashville will land in the middle third of MLS teams based on short passes attempted in 2025.
Playing short passes wasn’t on Gary Smith’s bingo card during his time in charge of Nashville SC – in 2024, Nashville finished 26th in MLS in short passes per 90, with 164. This year? They’re going to start hitting more measured passes. Nashville won’t strangle games with possession, but they’ll end up comfortably in the middle third of the league for short passes this season.
Fun fact
Walker Zimmerman was invited to play in the NBA Celebrity All-Star game a couple of years ago, but had to decline because he couldn’t skip out on preseason.
