Support for Nashville Soccer Club continues to grow as Tennessee Titans All-Pro running back Derrick Henry; Nashville native, acttress, and producer Reese Witherspoon; and media and technology investor Jim Toth have joined the team’s ownership group.

“We meant it when we said we were doing this in Nashville, with Nashville and for Nashville,” says principal owner John Ingram who made the announcement Tuesday morning (April 26). “Having Derrick, Reese and Jim join our group signals our commitment to being a club that is going to do things at the highest level and with the best Nashville has to offer.”

Witherspoon, Toth and Henry, who have joined as minority owners in the team, bring significant local support to a club that is already setting the tone for Major League Soccer success nationwide.

“As a kid growing up in Florida, I imagined being a professional sports owner and the opportunity to do that with a Major League Soccer club is truly a dream come true,” says Henry. “My investment in Nashville SC is way more than financial, it’s truly an investment in the city of Nashville. The chance to be part of a club like Nashville SC, especially after seeing what they are accomplishing in the community, was an opportunity I did not want to miss.”

Henry joins the ownership group as the most recognizable sports names in Nashville at this moment. He becomes only the fourth NFL player in history to serve as an owner of an MLS team.

“As a Tennessee native, it is thrilling to see how much growth and development has come to our home state,” adds Witherspoon. “One of the things that my whole family is most excited about is Nashville Soccer Club! The opportunity to go as a family and watch a world class team compete has been such an incredible experience.

“The team, the management, and the players have worked so hard to build this amazing organization and community,” she continues. “So, I’m thrilled to announce that my husband, Jim Toth, and I have made an investment in the club and are now a part of the ownership group moving forward.  On behalf of Jim and our children, we are thrilled to be a part of the NSC family!”

GEODIS Park is the largest soccer specific stadium in the U.S. and Canada, and has many features and attributes few other stadiums possess. All 30,000 seats are sold out for the inaugural match against Philadelphia Union on May 1.

In their first ever appearance, Nashville Soccer Club will face Atlanta United in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup round of 32 at GEODIS Park on May 11 at 7 p.m. CT.

Following a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19, the match will mark the first time that Nashville SC competes in the U.S. Open Cup as a Major League Soccer club.

The two teams have created a rivalry over the past two seasons after Nashville lost to Atlanta in the Boys in Gold’s first-ever MLS match in 2020 at Nissan Stadium. Atlanta fans have traveled well in the past, especially at Nashville home games.

Nashville SC has split the all-time series against its southern rivals, Atlanta United FC, owning a 2W-2L-2D all-time record. Nashville SC is undefeated against Atlanta since Sept. 12, 2020 (2W-0L-2D), scoring two or more goals in each match with a goal-differential of plus 6.

NSC’s Hany Mukhtar has the most goals between the teams in their six matchups with four goals. Mukhtar scored his first two goals of the season on Saturday (April 16) against San Jose.

Details regarding ticketing information and events will be announced the week of April 25.

A rainy Tuesday morning couldn’t prevent Nashville SC from showing off a nearly completed GEODIS Park to media and season ticket holders in an open training session.

Fans had the opportunity to see their new, permanent soccer home in person and sample a number of concessions while getting a chance to watch a special NSC practice with appearances from TV play-by-play voices Tony Husband and Jamie Watson.

Two-time MLS Defender of the Year and USMNT captain Walker Zimmerman led the team onto the field and took time to take pictures and sign autographs with fans.

“It’s incredible, to think it’s our permanent home, a place where 30,000 fans can pack it out cheering for us, it’s amazing,” said Zimmerman in a press conference. “We can’t wait for May 1. It’s going to be a great atmosphere and we’re hoping we can win three points to open it the right way.”

The team’s home opener against Philadelphia Union on May 1 is completely sold out. With the amount of season tickets sold, opening day was sold out within minutes of single-game tickets going on sale.

Club CEO Ian Ayre has been with the team since it initially jumped from USL to MLS back in 2019 and 2020. He has seen the “spiritual home of the team” grow from its infant beginnings as an idea on paper to its full glory with players on the pitch and fans in seats.

“I was talking to somebody earlier that when I got here in 2018 this was some lines on a page. Here we are sitting in the press conference room for the first time ever with fans in the stadium and players on the field. It felt like a sound check for May 1 to me,” Ayre said. “This is a great testament to so many people–too many to mention–who delivered this whole thing across the board. I had the opportunity to walk on the concourse and talk to some fans and I didn’t hear anybody say anything other than great things.”

One aspect of GEODIS Park that Ayre emphasized was the food options and the price ranges. Unlike most local and national stadiums, GEODIS Park will offer many local food options, such as Prince’s Hot Chicken, Central BBQ, Daddy’s Dogs and more.

“Reaching ever price point was important,” Ayre added. “We recognized that people have different pockets to spend from. Everything from $12 to the top levels, I genuinely think there is something for everyone when it comes to food, seat choices and obviously a great sport that people can learn quickly and enjoy.”

In its first two seasons in MLS, Nashville SC has seen major success. Both years, the Boys in Gold made it to the conference semifinals and, in 2021, Nashville went undefeated at home as they played at Nissan Stadium.

Nashville General Manager Mike Jacobs was key in building the current team with head coach Gary Smith, and the pair know just how important this new stadium is to creating an identity and attracting players to the club in the future.

“When we talked to players who went through this  journey with us, the idea of opening a new venue was definitely a selling point.” Jacobs explained. “We obviously place a premium price on guys who have MLS experience, guys who know what it’s like with the rigors of traveling the country, and the demands of our league.”

“To be able to open up on May 1 here and see what the future looks like at our own stadium and our own venue, [it’s almost like] our own world if you’d like,” Smith noted. “There are so many things that the guys will look forward to. Like I said, you have to make it your own. The history that the team builds over time will start on May 1.”

NSC midfielder and Panamanian international Aníbal Godoy kept referring to GEODIS Park as ‘castillo,’ meaning castle or fortress. With a new stadium, the opportunity to build a culture is possible and this ‘castle’ gives fans a place to congregate and celebrate the sport.

“This stadium looks different form the other stadiums in MLS,” Godoy mentioned when speaking with media. “In this stadium, if we fill it with fans, [there will definitely] be more pressure for the other teams. This is why I always say without fans football is not possible.

“With a good stadium, good fans and [all of the good things around us], we can try to build something,” he summed.

Nashville SC has already made huge strides this year on the pitch, earning 10 points off of their first six games all of which were on the road. The team has two more road matches, both in California, before they open their new home.

Players like Zimmerman who have been with the club since the beginning have felt the growing pains, as well as experienced the wonderful journey up to this point. He believes this is a new era in both the club’s history as well as the city’s.

“It’s a great group of guys, I wouldn’t want to do it with any other teammates or any other staff,” Zimmerman said. “It’s been a really wild ride and now it’s going to culminate here with the opening of new stadium. It’ll be the beginning of what I think is a new chapter for Nashville SC and Nashville in general. All these fans can have a home–a permanent home that is ours. It’s really special. That’s the next part of this journey and it’s something we’re all looking forward to.”

Music City will be turning into Soccer City on May 1.

Within minutes of single-game tickets going on sale, tickets for Nashville SC’s home opener at the brand new Geodis Park have officially sold out. The Boys in Gold will play Philadelphia Union in front of 30,000 fans that Sunday afternoon.

The club has also announced the selling of 21,000 season tickets for its third season in MLS.

“We have said many times that Nashville shows up for its sports teams,” says Nashville SC CEO Ian Ayre. “What bigger indicator could we get than to have such a massive season ticket base and our matches already starting to fill up and sell out across the home schedule. There will be people who miss out and it’s why we have been encouraging people to lock in their attendance by becoming season ticket members. 

“From a standing start, there were a few raised eyebrows about the popularity of soccer in the city, but the support we have seen grow in the last few years and the build up to opening day on May 1 have shown what we already knew, Nashville is a soccer city!”

On May 1 against Philadelphia, the Boys in Gold will look to extend the longest active home unbeaten streak in MLS at 18 matches, dating back to Nov. 20, 2020.

Tickets for the three other matches in the month of May including the highly anticipated game against rival Atlanta United FC on May 21, are still on sale. Tickets can be purchased on the club’s website.