Nashville SC kick off their 2025 season on Saturday night at Geodis Park, going up against a New England Revolution side who are also looking to get back into the playoffs.
Nashville head into their first full season under head coach BJ Callaghan, promising a new era as they head into what they've labelled "Nashville 2.0". After missing the playoffs for the first time as a professional club last season, the pressure is on to take steps forward and show that they've got back on track.
Match info
Teams: Nashville SC vs New England Revolution
Referees: Ramy Touchan (Ref), Oscar Mitchell-Carvalho (AR1), Gianni Facchini (AR2), Matt Thompson (Fourth), Jorge Gonzalez (VAR), Craig Lowry (AVAR)
Odds: NSH (-120), Draw (+245), NE (+285)
Date: Saturday, February 25
Time: 7:30 pm CT, GEODIS Park, Nashville, Tennessee
TV: MLS Season Pass – Apple TV
TV Commentary: Tony Husband & Ross Smith (English), Oscar Salazar & Jaime Macias (Spanish)
Radio: 104.5 The Zone
Radio Commentary: Lucas Panzica & Eddie Carvacho
Forecast: 41º/20º. 26º at kickoff. Sunny. 0% chance of rain. 40% humidity. 6 mph wind.
Head-to-head
Meetings: 9
Nashville wins: 2
Draws: 4
New England wins: 3
Last meeting: NE 1-0 NSH (September 28, 2024)
New England Revolution
Injury report
OUT: Tomás Chancalay (knee), Peyton Miller (groin), Matt Polster (thigh)
New England and Nashville are in similar situations heading into 2025. Both sides missed the playoffs last year, and both sides made sweeping changes to their rosters heading into the new season.
With head coach Caleb Porter in his second season on the touchline, the Revs added several key pieces to their squad in the offseason. Striker Leo Campana was acquired in a record trade from Inter Miami. Ignatius Ganago was brought in on loan from Nantes in France. The Revs also signed a brand-new starting center back pairing of Bryan Ceballos and Mamadou Fofana, with several other starting players also brought in.
"We had good players here," Porter said. "They just didn't happen to be the right players, once we got in here. They're still good players, but now we have the right players. Now this is my team. These are, these are my players. I've picked them, and I'm confident in the blueprint that I have."
Here's what Seth Macomber, who covers all things Revolution for The Blazing Musket, said of the roster changes:
The roster has a good mix of profiles. There are young players with potential (Damario McIntosh and Allan Oyirwoth), young players looking to contribute now (Luca Langoni and Ilay Feingold), foreign players in their prime (Alhassan Yusuf, Ignatius Ganago, Mamadou Fofana, and Brayan Cebellos), MLS players in their prime (Jackson Yueill and Leo Campana), and MLS veterans (Carles Gil, Brandon Bye, Aljaz Ivacic, and Matt Polster).
I like that the club went younger, as the roster's average age is 25. The big question is, how will it all come together? The Revs went 4-1-1 during preseason, which is promising, but now comes the actual test.
With 2021 MLS MVP winner Carles Gil pulling the strings, a completely revamped front line, and a good mix of youth and veteran experience in midfield, the Revolution have a playoff-caliber roster. It's still up in the air if they'll be better than they were in 2025, and they'll be out to prove they're on the right track on Saturday in Nashville.
Nashville SC
Injury report
OUT: Bryan Acosta (thigh), Tyler Boyd (knee), Gastón Brugman (thigh), Maximus Ekk (knee), Julian Gaines (thigh)
QUESTIONABLE: Jacob Shaffelburg (thigh), Patrick Yazbek (thigh)
BJ Callaghan has had a full offseason to not just turn over his roster, but to instill the tactics and vision he has for the team. Coming into the team midseason last year gave him just 11 matches to try and change the on-field identity of the club with a roster build for a completely different style of play.
With a shift to a more intense, high-pressing system, Callaghan has opted to use a 4-2-2-2 formation, staying compact in central areas while looking to form tight connections in possession. They've established much more consistent rotations and patterns in possession, with their tempo on the ball taking a noticeable uptick this offseason.
The health of several key players ahead of the season opener is a huge question. Midfielder Gastón Brugman and right back Julian Gaines, both projected to be starters, will miss the match with what BJ Callaghan described as "longer-term" issues. Additionally, Hany Mukhtar, Patrick Yazbek and Bryan Acosta all saw their involvement limited significantly in the last two weeks of preseason.
"Hany and Patrick are, I would say, a little bit day to day," Callaghan told media yesterday. "[We have to factor in] what the field surface is, what the temperatures are and how those guys are feeling. Understanding that we need to think, we also need to think longer term then just the first game here. That's still going to be determined for those two guys in the next 48 hours."
Playing without them against New England would be a big blow in the short term, but losing them for an extended period of time could have long-term ramifications on Nashville's season.
Staff predictions
Ben Wright
Score: NSH 2-1 NE
Scorers: Sam Surridge, Alex Muyl
MOTM: Sam Surridge
Bold prediction: Nashville double New England's passes into the penalty area.
Chris Ivey
Score: NSH 1-1 NE
Scorers: Sam Surridge
MOTM: Sam Surridge
Bold prediction: Nashville finish the match with nearly 60% possession.
Jeff Remlinger
Score: NSH 2-1 NE
Scorers: Eddi Tagseth, Bryan Acosta
MOTM: Hany Mukhtar
Bold prediction: Nashville tend to have incredible luck with debutants scoring. That trend continues with two new players scoring.
Ronan Briscoe
Score: NSH 2-0 NE
Scorers: Hany Mukhtar, Sam Surridge
MOTM: Hany Mukhtar
Bold prediction: Nashville look calm and fluid and are able to take their foot off the gas late, possibly even offering a debut to someone like Chris Applewhite or Adem Sipić.
Valair Shabilla
Score: NSH 3-3 NE
Scorers: Hany Mukhtar, Sam Surridge, Alex Muyl
MOTM: Sam Surridge
Bold prediction: A center back from one of the teams will be subbed off before the 50th minute.
Fan forecast
It's the first match of 2025 for Nashville SC! Can they get a win at home against New England Revolution?
— SixOneFive Soccer (@615Soccer) February 21, 2025
Pick the winner in our #FanForecast and reply with a #BoldPrediction. #NSHvNE
