On November 8, 2025, Nashville Soccer Club (NSC) was eliminated from the Major League Soccer (MLS) playoffs after falling to Inter Miami, led by Lionel Messi. Despite the season’s abrupt end, NSC found significant success and plenty to build on in the next year.
NSC’s most notable achievement of the year came with the club’s first trophy, the result of a 2-1 victory over Austin FC in the U.S. Open Cup final. The win marked the first major professional sports championship in Tennessee’s history.
The achievement was a tremendous feat for head coach B.J. Callaghan, who just wrapped up his first full season at the helm.
Although NSC finished sixth in the Eastern Conference with a tally of 54 points, there was a stretch of the season in which Nashville was considered one of the best teams in the country, ranking in the top five of national power rankings for several consecutive weeks.
The team also put together an impressive 15-match unbeaten streak before falling – once again – to Inter Miami in a regular-season match on July 12, 2025.
Much of NSC’s success was largely due to its dynamic duo of Hany Mukhtar and Sam Surridge.
Mukhtar, the German midfielder, posted 17 goals and 11 assists across all competitions. Surridge found the back of the net 31 times, including 24 goals in MLS play, finishing second in the Golden Boot race.
NSC’s offense added even more star power on Jan. 9, with the signing of Argentinian national Cristian Espinoza, who will fill Nashville SC’s last designated player spot.
The 30-year-old attacking midfielder is a two-time MLS All-Star (2023, 2025) and recently completed a six-year stint with the San Jose Earthquakes, where he totaled an impressive 119 regular-season goal contributions, including 36 goals and 83 assists.
Espinoza will be expected to fill the gap left by Tyler Boyd, whose contract was waived just a day prior to Espinoza’s signing.
While this signing appears promising, its success will depend largely on offseason chemistry and how the players’ styles mesh.
In addition to Boyd’s departure, Music City is also saying Goodbye to star defender and club captain Walker Zimmerman.
Zimmerman, who had been with the club since the 2020 expansion season, leaves behind an enduring legacy. He scored the club’s first MLS goal, was honored twice as the MLS Defender of the Year (2020,2021), and was selected to the MLS Best XI for five consecutive seasons (2019-2023).
Zimmerman will remain in the MLS after signing with Toronto FC.
With its U.S. Open Cup victory, Nashville has once again qualified for the Concacaf Champions Cup, the North American equivalent of Europe’s Champions League. This competition will open with a two-leg round against Canadian Premier League side, Atlético Ottawa, with the first leg on Feb. 17 in Ottawa and the second leg on Feb. 24 in Nashville.
NSC will also return to the Leagues Cup this year, a tournament in which the Boys in Gold found success in 2023 before falling to Inter Miami in a penalty shootout in the final.
Meanwhile, Tennessee’s professional sports teams have struggled in recent months. The Predators sit towards the bottom of the Central Division, the Grizzlies hover below average, and the Titans posted an unimpressive 3-14 record, tying for the worst in the NFL in the 2025 season.
However, with impressive performances last season and key offseason moves, NSC appears to have a serious shot at greater success this season and changing Tennessee’s current reputation in professional sports.