Prop Bets: Pharma Soccer wants to know your predictions!

Pharmaceutical Soccer has always prided itself in being a little bit different in its approach to covering Nashville Soccer Club, and now, for the sixth consecutive season, the Pharma Boys have opted to yet again put their metaphorical money where their mouth is with the annual prop bet episode.

New patients of the Pharmacy may not be familiar with the annual tradition, as after weeks of prognostication through the cold, barren MLS winter, Clay Trainum, Valair Shabilla and Stephen Robinson (as well as producers Omari Jackson and Johel Maza) have placed a variety of wagers on things that may or may not occur over the forthcoming season for the Boys in Gold. These aren’t true prop bets in that there are no stakes or odds to account for. Essentially, everyone has $100, and the boys are simply doing their best to keep as much of it as possible by the time the year closes. 

Last year’s win by Jackson, after a long reign at the top by Shabilla, marked the first time someone outside of the hosts has taken home the prop bet title. We’re looking to introduce even more variance this time, as for the first time ever, we are taking submissions from SixOneFive readers to win the coveted trophy.

Will you unseat the upstart champion, or is Shabilla going to bring back his reign of tyranny over the Pharmacy? Have your say and sign up HERE. 

If you feel like you need to know a little bit more before you get started, settle in as we run through our picks below. As always, it’s best to not think about Robinson’s selections too terribly much.

BET 1: Who will score NSC’s first goal this season?

We always keep it simple with the first bet of the season. 

Clay Trainum: Walker Zimmerman ($11)

Valair Shabilla: Hany Mukhtar ($10)

Stephen Robinson: Edvard Tagseth ($1)

Omari Jackson: Alex Muyl ($15)

Johel Maza: Jacob Shaffelburg ($5)

BET 2: Who will be Nashville’s first recipient of a red card?

Look, not every topic has to be the most positive, haha. Nashville operated for years with relatively few red cards compared to the rest of the league. There was a stark change on that front in 2023 as no team was shown more than NSC with six. By comparison, NSC picked up six total reds in their other four seasons playing in the top flight.

Clay Trainum: Patrick Yazbek ($7)

Valair Shabilla: Patrick Yazbek ($20)

Stephen Robinson: Edvard Tagseth ($1)

Omari Jackson: Daniel Lovitz ($5)

Johel Maza: Jeisson Palacios ($5)

BET 3: Who will score Nashville SC’s first hat trick of the season?

After many years without a single player recording a hat trick, there have been five three-goal matches recorded by NSC players since 2021. Hany Mukhtar, of course, has four of those, all coming from 2021-23. Sam Surridge recorded NSC’s only other hat trick, doing so against Montréal last May.

Clay Trainum: Sam Surridge ($14)

Valair Shabilla: Sam Surridge ($10)

Stephen Robinson: Edvard Tagseth ($1)

Omari Jackson: Adem Sipic ($2)

Johel Maza: Sam Surridge ($10)

BET 4: Which non-designated player will make the MLS All-Star team?

This is a bit of a pie-in-the-sky prediction, admittedly, but one of the primary deciding factors in what can elevate a decent team to a good team and certainly a good team to a great team is the presence of players on the roster without the designated player tag that stand out among the best at their position in the league. If NSC has really turned the corner back toward one of the league’s better teams, one of the players selected below will likely need to have a great season.

Clay Trainum: Ahmed Qasem ($6)

Valair Shabilla: Edvard Tagseth ($5)

Stephen Robinson: Edvard Tagseth ($1)

Omari Jackson: Patrick Yazbek ($3)

Johel Maza: Jacob Shaffelburg ($10)

BET 5: Who will be the first NSC player to be traded or transferred?

Mike Jacobs has never been shy about making a move to change the club’s roster when he’s felt that it’s been needed or the value is hard to pass up. We’ve seen blockbuster acquisitions like Walker Zimmerman and shocking trades like Alistair Johnston and Dave Romney. As such, it’s often difficult to predict what or who is next to go out that door. 

Clay Trainum: Jacob Shaffelburg ($12)

Valair Shabilla: Jacob Shaffelburg ($5)

Stephen Robinson: Gastón Brugman ($1)

Omari Jackson: Jack Maher ($10)

Johel Maza: Jacob Shaffelburg ($10)

BET 6: Who will be the leading goal contributor not named Hany Mukhtar?

No player has been as impactful to a team’s goal-scoring as Hany Mukhtar has been to Nashville over the last few years, so the question has always boiled down to who the other guy will be. 

Clay Trainum: Sam Surridge ($21)

Valair Shabilla: Alex Muyl ($10)

Stephen Robinson: Taylor Washington ($1)

Omari Jackson: Jacob Shaffelburg ($20)

Johel Maza: Sam Surridge ($20)

BET 7: Who will be the first former Nashville SC player to score against Nashville?

The category everyone who supports NSC dreads. Which former Boy in Gold plays the villain role when the two teams match up this season?

Clay Trainum: Lukas MacNaughton ($7)

Valair Shabilla: Forster Ajago ($10)

Stephen Robinson: Dax McCarty ($1)

Omari Jackson: Aníbal Godoy ($3)

Johel Maza: Randall Leal ($5)

BET 8: When will NSC score off a direct free kick?

Long accepted as part of the equation for NSC’s goal-scoring woes, direct free kicks have scarcely resulted in goals for the Boys in Gold in recent times. When does NSC finally find the back of the net after a foul outside the area?

Clay Trainum: Feb. 22 vs. New England ($6)

Valair Shabilla: April 26 vs. Chicago ($5)

Stephen Robinson: Oct. 1 in U.S. Open Cup Final ($1)

Omari Jackson: April 5 at Charlotte ($7)

Johel Maza: Feb. 22 vs. New England ($15)

BET 9: When will NSC lose its first match of the season?

There’s a very popular answer for this one, and it’s not without precedent.

Clay Trainum: March 1 at New York Red Bulls ($13)

Valair Shabilla: March 1 at New York Red Bulls ($20)

Stephen Robinson: March 1 at New York Red Bulls ($91)

Omari Jackson: April 19 at Seattle Sounders ($30)

Johel Maza: March 1 at New York Red Bulls ($15)

BET 10: Who will be the first NSC player this year to do the pregnant goal celebration?

Folks, it’s best not to think about this one too much, haha. One of the staples of nearly every NSC season is at some point, a Boy in Gold will score a goal and then pick the ball up and put it under his shirt, almsot always to celebrate news of a baby being on the way. It’s happened in USL. It’s happened in MLS. It’s happened at First Tennessee Park, Nissan Stadium AND GEODIS Park. Who will be the lucky Boy in Gold if it happens again this season?

Clay Trainum: Sam Surridge ($3)

Valair Shabilla: Jack Maher ($5)

Stephen Robinson: Edvard Tagseth ($1)

Omari Jackson: Andy Najar ($5)

Johel Maza: Jacob Shaffelburg ($5)

Now that you know who we’re picking. Tell us YOUR picks!