This is one in a series of team previews preparing fans for the 2023 MLS season. Check out the full list; teams will be revealed in predicted order of finish from Feb. 10-24.
What Nashville SC did last year
The Coyotes went to the Western Conference and didn’t have any issues putting together a very Nashville SC kind of year. They played solid enough defense, struggled to find a scoring threat beyond MVP Hany Mukhtar and made the playoffs before coming up short. They’re on a pretty tight and efficient schedule at this point.
Although, it should be noted, things didn’t quite come so easily last year. It took a rough stretch and legendary Dax McCarty press conference to get the team refocused last season. The playoffs weren’t quite as much of a given as they should have been.
Key additions
Defender Nick DePuy (trade from LA Galaxy), winger Fafa Picault (trade from Houston), winger Jacob Shaffelburg (trade from Toronto)
Key departures
Winger Handwalla Bwana (mutually parted ways), forward Aké Loba (loan to Mazatlán FC), defender Eric Miller (contract expired), defender Dave Romney (trade to New England)
Making the case for Nashville SC
The case for Nashville is a case for consistency. The team is largely unchanged, however the departure of center back Dave Romney looms large. It’s still not really all that clear why the felt the need to send him along to New England — and the central defense will likely be worse off because of it.
That consistency also means that Mukhtar will lilkey be going at things alone again. The Coyotes made a smart pick up in winger Fafa Picault, but he’s not exactly going to shoulder the attacking burden enough to take all the weight off Mukhtar. There are and should be serious questions about whether Mukhtar can keep it up the same level of production this year. It wouldn’t be surprising if the answer is no. And if the answer is no, there’s no clear answer as to who will make up for a non-MVP level Hany.
If Mukhtar can get it done though, this is exactly the kind of Nashville team you’d expect. They’re probably going to be tough to score on and they’re probably going to grab enough points to make the playoffs. But their ceiling is limited until they find another scoring threat.
Players to watch
Jack Maher is set to be the Romney replacement. They’re putting a lot of faith in him to take up for one of the more underrated players in MLS.
Meanwhile, how confident is anyone in this midfield? Dax McCarty is beginning to show signs of aging out, Sean Davis didn’t hit in quite the way they’d hoped last year and the depth seems thin. We know what Mukhtar and Walker Zimmerman will bring, but what about everyone else?
A nerdy tidbit
Nashville tied their worst-ever defensive performance last year. They finished sixth-best in the league in expected goals allowed.
A fun tidbit
Nashville began as a supporter-owned club and essentially worked their way from the bottom of the U.S. soccer pyramid to the top over the course of the last decade.
Projected finish
4th in the East
I was going to say something about this feeling too high and then I looked at my ballot and I had them fifth.
Look, yeah, there are concerns about Mukhtar carrying the load once again. There are concerns about losing Romney and concerns about the midfield. But this Nashville team has only known solid defensive work during their time in MLS. It’s hard to see that going away. And as long as they’re finishing the year near the top of the league in chances allowed, they’ll rack up points.
As of now, I don’t think they’re a trophy contender. But that doesn’t mean they’re going to miss the playoffs.
