Former US Men’s National Team assistant coach BJ Callaghan has now officially taken over as full time manager of Nashville SC.
In addition to his duties with the first team, Callaghan is set to assist general manager Mike Jacobs in the search for Huntsville City FC’s next manager. The MLS Next Pro outfit is already on their third manager of the season, with Zac Herold assuming the interim position following the departures of Jack Collison, and most recently former interim manager Christophe Berra.
So while Jacobs and Callaghan certainly have some work to do reshaping the first team to their needs, what do they have in place in the Rocket City?
Huntsville sits dead last in MLS Next Pro’s Eastern Conference, having collected a pitiful 13 points from 17 games, with 10 of those coming since June 1st.
It’s worth remembering that Huntsville has undergone massive roster and staff turnover all season, and that is likely a large part of the reason why the team has struggled to get results. But we’re not talking about that right now, we’re talking about what infrastructure is in place, and what talent Callaghan might want to bring up to the first team.
The players
Of course you can’t talk Huntsville without bringing up Jonathan Bolaños. He’s leading active Huntsville players in both goals and assists (not including Forester Ajago here, since I don’t expect him to return to MLS NEXT Pro anytime soon). Huntsville has also signed a number of promising players since the start of the season, but their contract situation makes it a bit less likely they get called up.
Maximus Ekk may be out for the season, but he looked very good before his injury, and figures to be a long term option moving forward. Tyler Pasnik is in the same boat, though he’s recently gotten healthy. I’m really looking forward to seeing he and Ekk on the field together next season.
Bryan Dowd is a nice goalkeeping prospect, but he’s both injured and only in on loan, so that dampers things. Same with Ben Martino, except he’s on a Nashville contract. Jordan Knight has come in from Columbus and become an established starter, and was included on Nashville’s Leagues Cup roster, for what that’s worth.
In addition to Huntsville’s own, Nashville has a wealth of academy players getting plenty of minutes in the Rocket City. Isaiah Jones and Adem Sipic are obvious first mentions, as they’re already on homegrown contracts. Center backs Scott Cheevers and Chris Applewhite, when both have been healthy, have been among the first names on the team sheet as starters.
In forward positions, Dom Wilson and Alejandro Velazquez-Lopez have made several appearances, and have at varying times looked bright. Braxton Hayes has also popped up on the fringes of the Huntsville squad recently.
The club
There’s a couple key selling points to Huntsville City FC that can be used to woo any prospective coaches.
Joe Davis Stadium is consistently host to one of, if not the biggest crowds in all of MLS Next Pro week in week out. Personally, I could imagine coaching a second team that plays in front of empty crowds would not be very enticing to young coaches, so that’s a plus.
Second, it’s still not entirely clear how director of soccer operations Matt Cairns wants to build the team. He’s been forced into a lot of situations where he’s had to make moves rapidly to fill gaps, including replacing basically the entire roster over the last offseason. With an offseason approaching where Cairns can hopefully begin to execute a vision, potentially with the help of a full time head coach, the Huntsville project can really get off the launch pad next season. Please laugh at that joke.
