Nashville SC & Renasant Bank Agree To Contract Extension

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Photo: Courtesy of Nashville SC

Nashville Soccer Club and Renasant Bank have renewed their partnership to extend through 2027. Nashville SC first signed Renasant Bank in 2019, prior to the start of the club’s inaugural season in Major League Soccer.

The partners, as they have accomplished since they came together, will continue to combine forces to reach, serve and strengthen their communities across the Nashville area, the state of Tennessee and the entire Southeast.

“Since joining our club at the beginning of our Major League Soccer journey back in 2020, Renasant has proven to be a premier sponsorship partner for our organization,” says Dan Farrell, Nashville SC VP of Corporate Partnerships. “As we enter in this new chapter of our relationship, we are proud to have Renasant as our primary kit partner for another four years and as a community ally in using the sport of soccer as a vehicle to leave a positive legacy in our region.”

Through Nashville SC’s history as an MLS side, Renasant has remained the club’s only kit partner. Just a couple weeks ago, Renasant expanded their ties by adding their name to Nashville SC’s MLS Next Pro affiliate Huntsville City FC’s jersey, becoming the first kit presenting partner of both organizations.

“We are very excited to announce the continuation of our partnership as the Official Bank and jersey sponsor with Nashville SC,” says John Oxford, Renasant Chief Marketing Office. “Both on the pitch and in the community, our partnership is placing Renasant as the financial services provider of choice in the markets we serve, and we look forward to many more years of success.”

Nashville SC will play their next four games at home, which includes a U.S. Open Cup match against San Antonio FC on Wednesday, April 26. This Saturday (April 22), Nashville SC faces reigning MLS Champions LAFC, with kick off at 7:30 p.m. CT. For more information, click here.

Column: Questions Begin To Surround Nashville SC Roster After Two-Straight Losses

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Dax McCarty vs FC Cincinnati. Photo: Courtesy of Nashville SC

What could’ve been a great display of strength at home against rival FC Cincinnati wound up being an intense and extremely frustrating 1-0 loss for Nashville SC, making that two in a row.

Goalkeeper Joe Willis had an amazing game with six fantastic saves which, in the end, prevented what could’ve been a blowout. But his efforts were not enough as the Boys in Gold struggled to finish any offensive opportunities they created.

These past two games have truly proven that Hany Mukhtar can’t do it all. It begs the question, “What needs to change to increase offense?”

This isn’t a new issue to Nashville SC, as they also struggled to score last year, but thanks to Mukhtar’s 23 goals and 11 assists, Nashville made the playoffs. However, another season is here and so are the same issues. Now obviously, the season is just five weeks in so it’s nowhere near time to panic, but these concerns need to be handled before they become the norms throughout the season.

So what’s not working? It’s pretty plain to see that the offense is struggling to score, even with moments of excitement from guys like Mukhtar and Jacob Shaffelburg. Head Coach Gary Smith has built and kept Nashville SC defensive minded, which has led to early success for the club, but the more these teams play and study Nashville SC, the easier it’s getting for them to score and beat Nashville. In the last two games, Nashville SC sported a 4-2-3-1 lineup against New England and 4-4-2 lineup against Cincinnati. Both offered great defense, but offense from CJ Sapong, Teal Bunbury and Fafa Picault couldn’t do anything.

Five games in and Picault has struggled to do anything of note. He’s had some good moments against NYCFC and the Red Bulls as well as a handful of good displays against Cincy, but no goals or scoring contributions. Smith needs to find a way to get more out of Picault and have him be a setup man for Mukhtar and Shaffelburg. Moving him upfront with Mukhtar may be a better strategy against Orlando, allowing him to create with the best player on the pitch.

The absence of Randall Leal is also being felt as Leal’s work on the ball and his speed is difficult to replicate. There is no word on whether Leal is ready to return, but him being injured has definitely left a hole in the lineup. Another player suffering from early season injuries is Aníbal Godoy, who made his first appearance against Cincinnati since getting hurt in the home opener.

It has been said over and over again that Godoy has the ability to be a game-changer. He is fast, tall and very strong. His work in transitioning the midfield into offense is brilliant at times. If he can start and stay healthy, Dax McCarty can spend most of his time on the bench, as he is someone that should no longer to be relied on to work for 60 minutes again.

This Saturday (April 1) will be a very important game, the most important game of the season thus far. Nashville cannot afford to lose three-straight and picking up three points is almost a necessity.

Huntsville City Football Club Announces Inaugural MLS NEXT Pro Schedule

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Huntsville City Football Club announced the schedule for their inaugural MLS NEXT Pro season.

Set to kick off at 2 p.m. CT on Sunday, March 26 against Charlotte FC’s MLS NEXT Pro affiliate Crown Legacy FC, Huntsville City FC will start the season with seven consecutive road matches and a bye week before the grand opening of Joe Davis Stadium on May 19, also against Crown Legacy FC.  

“We’re really excited to have the schedule here. There’s been a lot of hard work that has been going on for the past couple of months behind the scenes both on and off the pitch. Now we can finally set our sights on that first game,” says Head Coach Jack Collison. “Going to Crown Legacy we know is going to be a difficult challenge, they have made some really good signings in the offseason, but we’re going to go there full of confidence and looking forward to putting our best foot forward. We want to get off to a good start, we’re under no illusions it’s not going to be difficult on the road, because being on the road for the first seven games is obviously going to present certain challenges in itself. As a group it’s really going to test and stretch us, but it’s the challenge in which we really crave both as players and as staff.”  

All Huntsville City FC regular season matches will be available to watch live and on-demand on MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app. MLS Season Pass is the subscription service from Apple and Major League Soccer that is home to all MLS and Leagues Cup matches and hundreds of MLS NEXT Pro and MLS NEXT matches. The broadcast schedule is subject to change so please visit the club’s website to stay up-to-date on broadcast information.  

“We can’t wait for that home opener at Joe Davis Stadium on May 19,” continues Collison. “You can see the stadium coming together, I drive past it every single day and checking on the progress and it looks like an incredible venue. We as a group are really excited to get in there, and play that first game, once again against Crown Legacy.” 

Huntsville City FC will play host to the best MLS NEXT Pro clubs throughout their first season, including 12 teams whose parent clubs mirror a team that Nashville SC will face in 2023.

Throughout the season, the North Alabama and Tennessee Valley region will have the opportunity to see the best young talent North American soccer has to offer as the club develops fierce rivalries with a pair of matches against Atlanta United 2, and Orlando City B. Additionally, Huntsville City FC will take on Columbus Crew 2, Crown Legacy and Inter Miami CF three times each this season. 

Highlighting the local flair will be the first match against Atlanta United 2 on July 23 in Georgia as Collison returns to Atlanta for the first time to square off against his former side. HCFC will host Atlanta on Sunday, Sept. 10 at Joe Davis Stadium, before closing out the regular season against Chicago Fire FC II on Sept. 23 at home.

“We are looking forward to the season ahead. It’s great that we have a schedule so we can get our teeth into it now. Now it’s about fine tuning over the next couple of weeks to make sure we are ready and come that first game on, we are firing on all cylinders,” says Collison. 

The home opener on May 19 will mark the beginning of a four-match homestand for Huntsville City FC. Fans can now purchase their season ticket memberships at www.mlsnextpro.com/huntsvillecityfc/tickets.

Nashville SC Looks As Strong As Ever Three Games Into The Season

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Hany Mukhtar. Photo: Courtesy of Nashville SC

Three games into the MLS season and Nashville Soccer Club is sitting strong with seven points, two wins and no goals conceded. It might be safe to say that this is a pretty good start.

Even with a few injuries this early, Nashville has found a way to lockdown opposing offenses and create scoring opportunities with guys like Jacob Shaffelburg and Hany Mukhtar. Goalkeeper Joe Willis has been extremely solid with a fantastic performance in cold New Jersey against the New York Red Bulls on March 4.

Yes, the season has just begun and anything could happen, but a great start out of the gate can allow for wiggle room later on. So, let’s take a dive into the Boys in Gold’s performance so far this season and see what’s working and what can improve.

So right off the bat, the defense is looking as good as it ever has. In the last two games, Head Coach Gary Smith‘s squad has had four players on its backline, which has made scoring on Nashville nearly impossible. Performances from Shaq Moore, Walker Zimmerman, Jack Maher and Dan Lovitz have been fantastic.

In the past three games, Nashville has only given up 25 total shots against opposing teams as well as only 11 corners and just a handful of big chances. Zimmerman and Moore are both sporting accurate passing ratings of at least 70 percent, while Moore has won 86 percent of his tackles. Zimmerman is back at clearing the ball with 19 clearances and 10 head clearances.

We’ve also seen some great work from the Nashville midfield in Sean Davis, who’s played 270 minutes so far this season. Along with Shaffelburg and Mukhtar, the team has been able to create some offensive momentum.

In the club’s opening match, we saw Shaffelburg leave it all on the field with his speed off the ball. He scored during both the opener against NYC FC and Saturday’s (March 11) match against Montreal. His work with Mukhtar and Fafa Picault will be key for Nashville’s success this season.

Another plus was Randall Leal and Aníbal Godoy‘s performances in the home opener. Godoy was injured for most of last season and when he was on the pitch, he was very limited. He is a difference maker in the offensive transition and it was visible against NYC FC. Sadly, he’s been injured for the past two games and the lack of his field presence was emphasized as Nashville struggled to score against the Red Bulls. Leal has also been injured for the last two games, which has hurt the club’s offensive prowess. He is one of the most important players on the team. Though he didn’t score much last season, Leal creates the most scoring chances next to Mukhtar.

However, Nashville needs to work on is keeping possession of the ball. Against Montreal, the team only possessed the ball for 35 percent of the game compared to Montreal’s 65 percent. The Red Bulls had nearly 60 percent of possession, and NYC FC had 62 percent of possession. Even though they struggled to keep possession, the Nashville defense prevented any scoring or any opportunities to score. That being said, this is an issue that needs to be addressed in the midfield. This could be resolved once Leal and Godoy return, or when Picault finds his groove with the team. Smith may need to re-work the formation where a 4-3-3 can allow the midfield and attack to create opportunities and run the ball down the opposing defense’s throat.

There is still a lot of work to do and a lot of teams that will be adapting to Nashville’s play. But once Leal and Godoy return healthy, the Boys in Gold will have the potential to be a very dangerous team for the Eastern Conference.

Nashville SC To Host The 2023 Leagues Cup Group Stage Matches

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Nashville SC has announced their Leagues Cup 2023 Group Stage schedule, ahead of the inaugural edition of the official Concacaf competition. The Boys in Gold will host Colorado Rapids (MLS) and Toluca (Liga MX) on July 23 and 27, respectively, at GEODIS Park, with both matches televised on MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app.

For the first time, all Liga MX and MLS clubs will pause their leagues’ action to compete in a World Cup-style tournament, Nashville SC has been placed in the Central Region in Group 4. The top two teams from the Central Region Group 4 based off points will advance to the Knockout Stage Round of 32 which will be played on Aug. 2-4.

The Leagues Cup 2023 groups are based on the clubs’ 2022 performances along with their geographic regions. Nashville SC finished eighth in the Supporters’ Shield Standings, which resulted in the corresponding Central Region placement first, alongside the other top 15 MLS clubs. The champion, second and third place finishers of the Leagues Cup 2023 will qualify for the Concacaf Champions League.

Official Leagues Cup Bracket

Tickets for Nashville SC Season Ticket Members, who are interested in witnessing the first edition of the Leagues Cup, will automatically appear in their accounts for an additional charge. Alternatively, Season Ticket Members will have the option to opt out of their Leagues Cup tickets during a special window starting on Monday, March 13 through Wednesday, March 22. Members will receive an email on Monday, March 13 on how to claim their seats for the Leagues Cup. Tickets to the general public will go on sale at 10 a.m. CT on Thursday, March 30.

For more information, click here.

Preds Star Filip Forsberg & NBA Champion Giannis Antetokounmpo Join Nashville SC Ownership Group

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Filip Forsberg and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Photos: Courtesy of Nashville SC

A few superstars have joined Nashville Soccer Club, not on the pitch but as minority owners. Nashville Predators all-time leading scorer Filip Forsberg and two-time MVP and NBA Champion Giannis Antetokounmpo have joined the team’s ownership group.

Antetokounmpo is joined in ownership by his brothers Thanasis, Kostas and Alex — all of whom play professional basketball worldwide. Together, Thanasis and Giannis won the NBA Championship with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021, and Kostas won with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020.

“My father was a professional soccer player, and it was the first sport I fell in love with in Greece,” says Antetokounmpo. “I’ve always had the dream of owning a soccer team. When my brothers and I explored Nashville SC, we knew it was a team and a city that we wanted to get involved with. I couldn’t be more excited to join the Boys in Gold, and can’t wait to come to a match at GEODIS Park soon!”

Pictured L-R: Alex Antetokounmpo, Thanasis Antetokounmpo and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Photo: Courtesy of Nashville SC

The announcement of the new owners maintains the strong momentum Nashville SC has built leading up to the 2023 season, highlighted by its Man in Black jersey collaboration with the Johnny Cash estate. That momentum increased with a 2-0 victory over New York City FC in front of 28,051 fans at GEODIS Park this past Saturday (Feb. 25).

“Nashville is the best sports city in the country, and I am extremely blessed to now be involved with two of our pro teams,” says Forsberg. “Our city is one big family and fanbase, and we support each other on and off the field. Nashville SC has been such a great addition to our sports culture, and joining the ownership group was an opportunity I wasn’t going to pass up. I grew up a Liverpool FC fan in Sweden, and after today I am happy to add a second set of colors to cheer for!”

Forsberg and Antetokounmpo join a robust and diverse ownership group whose most recent additions include Reese Witherspoon and her husband Jim Toth as well as Derrick Henry.

“Soccer is a global sport, and our newest owners once again reinforce our club’s commitment to being a global team,” says Majority Owner John Ingram. “Filip and Giannis are not just amazing athletes – they are ambassadors for their respective sports, role models for millions and advocates in their hometowns and worldwide. We share a common belief that our teams not only play to the highest standards, but also lift up their communities and help those who need it most.”

Nashville SC will hit the road to face the New York Red Bulls at 6:30 p.m. CT on Saturday, March 4.

Nashville SC Introduces 104.5 The Zone As Official Radio Partner For The 2023 Season

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Nashville Soccer Club has a new radio partner in 2023 as 104.5 The Zone is now the club’s home for live game action this season. 104.5 The Zone, Cumulus Media’s live and local sports station, will complement and enhance the MLS Season Pass television broadcast, which is now available on the Apple TV app  in more than 100 countries and regions. As part of the deal, fans will have the option to select the Nashville SC radio broadcast for audio on the Apple TV app where available. 

Starting on Wednesday, March 1, Nashville SC fans will be able to listen to the NSC Backstage show which will feature interviews with coaching staff, players, executives and more on 104.5 The Zone every Wednesday at 8 p.m. CT. Listeners will be able to gain insight into the Boys in Gold and their competitors all season. Lucas Panzica and Will Boling of 104.5 The Zone will serve as radio hosts and take on play-by-play duties with former Nashville SC defender and official club ambassador Jalil Anibaba as the color analyst.

“Our goal at 104.5 The Zone is to be wherever sports is, and given soccer’s growing popularity, Nashville SC is a perfect fit for our vibrant multi-platform Sports ecosystem,” says Paul Mason, Program Director, 104.5 The Zone. “With talented broadcasters Will Boling and Lucas Panzica calling every match, we are excited to take Tennessee pro soccer fans along with us for all the action on-air, streaming, and on platforms like Apple TV.”

For roughly a decade, Boling has worked as a play-by-play broadcaster and multimedia journalist covering soccer, football, basketball, baseball, softball, volleyball and track-and-field. Boling has done the play-by-play for The Zone’s high school football coverage for the last 10 years, and last season he stepped in to call Nashville SC’s match against CF Montréal and the Colorado Rapids at GEODIS Park on iHeartRadio. In 2017, he was hired as the public address announcer for the University of Tennessee Track and Field program where he called multiple world leading times from World Champions Christian Coleman, Justin Gatlin and Sydney McLaughlin. He began working at The Zone in 2019, where he now serves as co-host on the Ramon, Kayla and Will morning show weekdays from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. CT. 

Panzica joins Nashville SC with ample experience as a play-by-play broadcaster. Similar to Boling, he has done the play-by-play for The Zone’s high school football and basketball coverage since 2021 and served as the co-host of the Nashville Soccer Show on the Zone Podcast Network. He also did play-by-play for Trevecca Nazarene University athletics and was the lead broadcaster for Chattanooga Football Club for nearly five years. Panzica currently works as the executive producer for The Zone’s The Buck Reising Show weekdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Blaine and Mickey weekdays from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.  

In addition to his responsibilities of serving in an influential role in Nashville SC’s community efforts in Middle Tennessee, Anibaba will support the club in a creative content role and work as the club’s radio color commentator alongside Panzica and Boling this season. During his playing career over 12 MLS seasons, Anibaba spent two in Music City and was a foundational piece for Nashville SC’s early MLS success. He was on the inaugural roster and helped the Boys in Gold advance to back-to-back Eastern Conference Semifinal appearances in 2020 and 2021. He made 245 MLS regular season appearances and is a two-time Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup winner and a Supporters Shield winner.

For the first time in Nashville SC’s history, Spanish-speakers and fans of the club will be able to access a dedicated Spanish-language television broadcast for each match via the MLS Season Pass, which will feature every live MLS regular-season match in English and Spanish, the entire Audi MLS Cup Playoffs, and Leagues Cup all in one place, with consistent match times and no blackouts — a first in live sports broadcasting. In addition to the match broadcast, fans will be able to enjoy pregame shows and the postgame wrap-up in both English and Spanish. 

Five Things To Look Forward To This Season With Nashville SC

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Pictured L-R: Hany Mukhtar, Shaq Moore and Jacob Shaffelburg. Photo: Courtesy of Nashville SC

Nashville SC’s fourth season in MLS is here and there is a lot to watch this year for the Boys in Gold.

Now that Nashville has become a respected club with an array of accomplishments, expectations are much higher and opposing teams will be fighting hard to earn a win against them.

After Hany Mukhtar‘s unbelievable performance in 2022, winning the MVP and the Golden Boot, all eyes will be on the German international. But if Nashville wants to see the same or greater success than last season, the club will need some big performances from other players.

This season there is much look forward to. Between a few new players, guys who were injured last season but are game-ready now, as well as some matches that will be must see.

Here are The Sports Credential‘s Five Things to look out for this upcoming season.

5 – Nashville SC Hosts Cincinnati on March 25

The Boys in Gold will have a top-tier rivalry game at GEODIS Park just five matches into their season when FC Cincinnati comes to town. Cincinnati has slowly become one of Nashville SC’s rivals with plenty of banter going back-and-forth between supporters on social media. Cincinnati finished fifth in the Eastern Conference last season, beating the New York Red Bulls in the first round of the MLS Playoffs.

Superstar player Brandon Vazquez had a stellar season, scoring 18 goals and eight assists. Vazquez is an up-and-coming superstar who will want to make his mark on the league. No better time to do that than against a rival and against the team with the reigning MVP. Nashville only had one chance to play Cincinnati last season in July, which ended in a one-one draw.

This will be a match between two teams of equal talent and similar expectations. Cincinnati fans will definitely travel to Music City for this game so the chanting back-and-forth between the supporters’ sections will be fantastic, so this is a game you’ll want on your list.

 

Aníbal Godoy. Photo: Courtesy of Nashville SC

4 – Aníbal Godoy Back From Injury

In 2022, Aníbal Godoy was dealing with injuries throughout the entire season and only made 19 appearances and started just 11 times. He also played just 946 minutes opposed to over 2,000 minutes in 2021. His presence was missed as Godoy has been a solid midfielder for Nashville since he joined the club in 2020. He averages a passing percentage of around 90 percent in each of the last seven seasons, and was a player the Boys in Gold could rely on for his physicality.

Godoy was able to draw 46 fouls in 2021 and over 50 in 2020. Being able to draw as many fouls as he can sets up players like Mukhtar and Randall Leal to score. If Godoy stays healthy in 2023 and gets ample playing time, it could be a major difference for Nashville SC and their season.

He’s definitely a player to watch out for and many fans will be waiting patiently to see if he is in the staring lineup on Saturday.

 

3 – Nashville SC At Atlanta United On August 26 With Nine Games Left

When Nashville SC visits Atlanta United in late August, there is no telling where their season could be. If it’s anything like last season, it’ll be hanging on with just a handful of games left. Atlanta United isn’t the powerhouse it was a few years ago, but they aren’t bottom feeders just yet and its safe to say when Nashville SC comes into town, they’ll be putting up a fight.

Nashville played Atlanta twice last season, once in a U.S. Open Cup showdown which ended in extra time and in a regular season match which ended in a two-two draw. But now back in the Eastern Conference, this rivalry will be ramped up again and will mean more in the standings. Atlanta may be out of the playoff picture, especially after losing former MVP Josef Martinez, but they always put a quality team on the pitch.

This could be a game that determines a lot in the standings with just nine games left in the regular season schedule. Mark your calendar for this one.

 

Randall Leal celebrating his equalizing goal against Philadelphia at the GEDOIS Park opener. Photo: Courtesy of Nashville SC

2 – Randall Leal Needs To Have a Big Season & He Knows It

Randall Leal scored the first Nashville SC goal ever at GEODIS Park and for that, he’s put his mark on the club’s history. But last season was far from great for Leal.

In 2022, Leal scored just two goals and had seven assists with 16 shots on target. Though these stats don’t fully show his performance last season, they are underwhelming and need to get better. Leal had some brilliant moments during the 2022 campaign. Fantastic passes that set up goals, great shots on goal that were nearly goals but just didn’t connect, and he was one of the fastest players on the pitch all season.

Leal had many positives in 2022, sadly they didn’t always turn into goals. That needs to change this season and Leal knows that he needs to have a big year for his club. All eyes will be on him to be one of Mukhtar’s supporting acts.

 

Jacob Shaffelburg. Photo: Courtesy of Nashville SC

1 – The Rise Of Jacob Shaffelburg

The acquisition of Jacob Shaffelburg was one of the best moves Nashville made last season. On loan from Toronto FC, Shaffelburg played in eight games and scored two goals on 16 shots. Thought Nashville SC didn’t make a whole lot of moves in the offseason, they made the move to keep Shaffelburg.

Fans only got a glimpse of him last season and he fell into place so well with the squad. This season will be huge for him and he could turn out to be one of Nashville’s go-to forwards. Mukhtar needs help as he was Nashville’s best goal scorer by far and it will be difficult for him to repeat last season’s performance as he’ll have a target on his back. A full season with Shaffelburg could be a game-changer for Nashville. His presence could add an extra layer and he could become Nashville’s best player off the bench, if he doesn’t become an automatic starter.

He is only 23 years old and has shown a lot of promise in just a short amount of time. He is extremely fast and eager to make player into the box as we’ve seen last season. Therefore, Shaffelburg is definitely the player to watch out for this season.