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Can BJ Callaghan build a Nashville SC team that fits its 'young, dynamic' city?
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- Can BJ Callaghan build a Nashville SC team that fits its 'young, dynamic' city?
Twenty months ago, B.J. Callaghan was the face of American soccer.
As interim coach of the United States men's national team in June 2023, Callaghan guided the U.S. to the CONCACAF Nations League championship. In a 3-0 semifinal win over rival Mexico and 2-0 title-game win over Canada , the USMNT played some of its most stylish, aggressive and entertaining soccer in recent memory.
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While Callaghan stepped back to his assistant role upon Gregg Berhalter's rehiring later that summer, his star in coaching circles never really faded. Previously little-known, he now had his pick of suitors if he wanted to be a head coach.
Nashville SC got there first.
Of course, Callaghan, who was hired as Nashville's coach last July, felt the club, and city, also had plenty to offer.
"Nashville is a destination for a lot of people," Callaghan told The Tennessean. "Not just in the soccer world, but you can see how many people from all over the country are moving here. It's a young, dynamic, growing, exciting city."
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Callaghan's first full season begins at 7:30 p.m., Saturday when Nashville hosts the New England Revolution at Geodis Park. His aim is to build a team that matches its home — young, dynamic, growing, exciting — and more importantly, one where those attributes contribute to winning.
"We want to be a club that people from Nashville who have been here for a long time can be really proud of," Callaghan said. "At the same time, we want to be a club that people who move into Nashville can identify with. ... We want to be the glue that connects the 'OG' Nashvillians with the new Nashvillians."
These are lofty aspirations for a team that finished 25th out of 29 teams in the Supporters' Shield last season — especially as the newest sports franchise in a city with two other teams and a heavy college presence, and in a country where MLS still lags behind in the professional pecking order.
Simply put, Nashville SC didn't offer much excitement in 2024.
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Why should that change in 2025?
"In any sort of development of a club, it doesn't just continue to go straight," Callaghan said. "The message that we have is that we're committed. We've replenished the roster, we have a lot of new players, players that are exciting as individuals but also fit the team that we want to bring to Nashville."
Pragmatism can win plenty of games, but can also turn into stagnation and boredom when the victories don't come. That was more or less the story of Nashville's first five seasons in MLS.
Nashville reached the playoffs in each of its first four seasons due to Hany Mukhtar 's stardom, U.S. international Walker Zimmerman leading the defense and a well-drilled veteran lineup coached by Gary Smith, whose counterattacking, defensive tactics made Nashville one of the league's best teams on that end. But last May, a struggling Nashville fired Smith , deciding he had taken the club as far as he could.
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Even at its peak under Smith, Nashville never had a high-flying offense. And in a season when scoring across MLS was at its highest level since 2018, Nashville averaged just over one goal per game, ranking second-to-last in the league. NSC was not only bad, but no more fun to watch than it was from 2020-23.
Callaghan promised a more aggressive attack, and even with personnel adapted to a completely different way of playing, Nashville showed more signs of life in nine MLS games under him. It averaged more goals (1.33 to 1.04), shot attempts (12.6 to 10.8) and put more fear into opposing defenses by controlling the ball closer to goal: its touches in the attacking third (131 to 110) and penalty area (21.8 to 17) increased as well.
The flip side of aggression is often sloppiness, and Nashville's 3-5-1 record under Callaghan and 15 goals allowed exemplified that. But during the offseason, Nashville attempted to build on the positives. It acquired midfielder Gaston Brugman, midfielder Edvard Tagseth , and defender Andy Najar to supplement the existing core of Mukhtar, Zimmerman and striker Sam Surridge . It's also added young talent to the mix, including homegrown defender Chris Applewhite and U.S. youth international Matthew Corcoran .
Nashville's roster has an average age of 26.5, three years younger than last season, when it was MLS's oldest team. Throughout the preseason, Callaghan's preached a blank-slate mentality: there's competition down from the first team to MLS Next Pro affiliate Huntsville City FC, and every minute on the field will have to be earned.
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"It's not resting on what you've done in the past," Callaghan said. "... Be open-minded, have your eyes and ears wide open and be willing to adapt and grow."
MORE: 4 takeaways from Nashville SC's preseason win over Lexington SC at Geodis Park
A jump back into playoff contention is hardly unrealistic: Last season's MLS Cup champions, the LA Galaxy , were the third-worst team in the league in 2023. That'd be a surefire way to increase excitement — even more so if Callaghan can do it his way.
"We don't dismiss the past, but we certainly learn from it," Callaghan said. "... The biggest takeaway is that it does not define us as a club. It gives us great optimism as we write this new chapter, that we can accomplish anything we put our minds to."
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Jacob Shames can be reached by email at jshames@gannett.com and on Twitter @Jacob_Shames.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: MLS season preview: Can BJ Callaghan bring excitement to Nashville SC?
