Preseason Primer: Everything to know about Nashville SC

NASHVILLE, TN - It's almost impossible to imagine that there are just 31 days until Nashville SC kick off their 2025 MLS campaign. The offseason has flown by, with the club spending the past week in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, for the first stage of their preseason training camp.

Here at SixOneFive Soccer, we're stealing... err... borrowing an idea from our friends over at Sounder At Heart (make sure to check them out for the best-in-class coverage of Seattle soccer) and doing a quick primer to get you up to speed on the upcoming season, whether you've paid attention to the offseason moves or not.

Let's gain this grain.

So... what happened in the offseason?

Remember how Nashville SC missed the playoffs for the first time as a professional club? I don't blame you if you've tried to forget. The club didn't forget, though. In fact, they did a major roster overhaul.

13 players who were on the roster at the end of the 2024 season are no longer with the club. That includes veteran leader Aníbal Godoy (he signed with San Diego as a free agent) and former Young DP Randall Leal (he signed with DC United on waivers before the rest of his contract was bought out), along with important rotational players like Sean Davis, Lukas MacNaughton and Brian Anunga.

They've been busy with incoming moves, too. 2024 MLS Cup MVP Gastón Brugman was acquired in the swap with Davis. Edvard Tagseth was brought in from Norway. Honduran internationals Bryan Acosta and Andy Najar are set to bring more veteran experience. It remains to be seen if this side is better than they were in 2024, but by golly they're trying.

Who else is gone?

You want a list? Ok, here's a list.

Brent Kallman and Dru Yearwood were both out of contract. Ben Martino, Joey Skinner, Aníbal Godoy, Brian Anunga, Amar Sejdić and Forster Ajago all had their options declined. Josh Bauer was also out of contract, but signed a new two-year contract.

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So can Nashville make a big signing?

We've already talked about some of the moves Nashville have made, but they're not going to bring in a Designated Player this winter, and most likely not this season. Hany Mukhtar, Sam Surridge and Walker Zimmerman are taking their three DP slots, so they don't have room to add another.

Zimmerman is in the last year of his contract (and Nashville won't bring him back on a DP deal), but even if they sign him to a new non-DP contract, Nashville are almost certainly heading towards the two DP / four U22 Initiative signing model (for more info on that, check out this explainer).

As of right now, Nashville have two empty U22 Initiative spots to use, which would allow them to spend a sizeable transfer fee on a young player without having a significant impact on their salary cap. They've been linked with several wingers, but would need to open an international roster slot before they could finalize the deal.

Have Nashville SC got better?

I think so. They've at least added more young talent and have the potential to be better. The caveat is I think their floor is probably lower. There are a lot of unproven young players set for key roles, and several older players like Gastón Brugman, Walker Zimmerman and Tyler Boyd who are coming off injury-plagued seasons.

There's a world in which things go really poorly. Nashville are prepared for that - 11 of their players are out of contract at the end of the season, so they're fully happy to continue this rebuild. But I think there's real potential that this team improves significantly, especially with a full offseason under BJ Callaghan. I don't think they'll be competing for the Supporters' Shield, but in my mind they're firmly a playoff team.

Is the squad healthy?

We won't know for sure until we start seeing lineups and get a chance to watch them train. With the club in Florida, playing closed-door games for the bulk of preseason, it's always hard to tell and a lot of reading between the lines is required.

One player who certainly isn't fully healthy is Tyler Boyd. The winger tore his ACL in a freak non-contact incident on July 19. He's expected to be back on the field sometime this spring, but it's likely he won't return to action until mid-April at the very earliest.

What are some key storylines to watch?

• What formation does BJ Callaghan primarily use? A huge pet peeve of mine is people confusing "formation" for "tactics". Nashville will have a consistent tactical approach throughout the season, even while switching formations. That being said, I'm really interested to see how Callaghan sets up his team early in preseason, and if that changes at all as we get closer to February 22. A 4-3-3 makes a lot of sense for how he wants his team to play, and the personnel is a perfect fit for this - besides Hany Mukhtar. Mukhtar could play as an advanced No. 8 in a 4-3-3, but I think the way to get the best out of him is as a pure No. 10. For that reason, I imagine we'll see a good bit of 4-2-3-1 in the mix this year.
• What does the backline look like? Other than Walker Zimmerman, I'm not sure there's a guaranteed starter at this point. Josh Bauer already pushed Jack Maher for starting minutes last season, and that was before Jeisson Palacios arrived. At right back, Julian Gaines will have stiff competition from Andy Najar, and at left back, don't discount Edvard Tagseth's ability to play there.
• Does Xavier Valdez actually make a push for the starting goalkeeper role? All offseason we've heard that Nashville will bring in a goalkeeper to push Joe Willis and challenge for starting minutes. It's a bit of a surprise if that goalkeeper was Xavier Valdez, who certainly has experience at the international level, but was a mostly average 'keeper at the MLS NEXT Pro level. Nashville have unearthed hidden gems plenty of times in the past, so maybe he's next?

What comes next?

After playing the USMNT U20's on Saturday, they'll take on Charlotte FC on Friday, January 24 before returning to Nashville. Some season ticket holders will be able to attend their match against Lexington United SC at Geodis Park on February 1, so check your emails.