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Names to know besides Hany Mukhtar, Walker Zimmerman for 2024 Nashville SC MLS roster
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- Names to know besides Hany Mukhtar, Walker Zimmerman for 2024 Nashville SC MLS roster
Nashville SC enters 2024 with high expectations fueled, in part, by two of the best players in Major League Soccer: 2022 MVP Hany Mukhtar and Walker Zimmerman , who have been named to the MLS Best XI together the last three seasons.
The Mukhtar-Zimmerman nucleus remains intact and Gary Smith, the only coach the club has ever known, is back too. But the rest of the roster — including a handful of offseason moves — could be the determining factor in whether Nashville finally makes the jump from playoff fixture to championship contender in its fifth season in MLS.
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Here's a breakdown of Nashville's roster prior to Thursday's CONCACAF Champions Cup opener at Moca FC and Sunday's MLS opener against the New York Red Bulls at Geodis Park:
Forwards
This is definitively Mukhtar's team. He led Nashville with 15 goals and 11 assists in 2023 despite a second-half slump that was a microcosm of Nashville's entire season . Nashville has historically relied on Mukhtar's offense as much as any team can rely on any one player. They hope that won't be the case this year.
Nashville signed striker Sam Surridge as a designated player in July, and he scored in each of his first three games before going scoreless in 11 of his final 12. There's still plenty of time for Surridge to chart a different course than former designated players Jhonder Cadiz and Ake Loba , and a full offseason in Smith's system will help the Englishman as he tries to become the big-time No. 9 Nashville has never had.
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Winger Tyler Boyd was Nashville's biggest offseason acquisition. Boyd, picked up in a December trade, had 11 goal contributions (seven goals, four assists) for the LA Galaxy in 2023 and tied for the team lead. Boyd figures to bring the pace and trickiness that Fafa Picault brought last year, but unlike the 32-year-old Picault, who signed with the Vancouver Whitecaps in January, Boyd, 29, is in his theoretical prime.
Jacob Shaffelburg projects to be Boyd's counterpart on the left wing. The Canadian has raw speed to rival anyone in MLS, on top of being a fan favorite, and had three goals and an assist in 2023. Still, Shaffelburg started less than half of Nashville's league games, and he'll need more consistency in order to evolve from a spark of energy to a locked-in regular.
Apr 8, 2023; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Nashville SC forward Jacob Shaffelburg (14) plays the ball during the first half against Toronto FC at Geodis Park.
Teal Bunbury probably won't make 20 starts like he did in 2023, but the soon-to-be 34-year-old is good with his back to goal and gives Nashville a capable target man off the bench. If Nashville needs a late infusion of speed, it can turn to McKinze Gaines , who came over in a trade with Charlotte FC in December.
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Expect homegrown player Adem Sipic , undrafted rookie Forster Ajago and recent signee Woobens Pacius to get plenty of minutes with Huntsville City FC , Nashville's MLS Next Pro affiliate.
Midfielders
This is the most fluid part of Nashville's roster at the moment after Dax McCarty left the club and signed with Atlanta United as a free agent.
Anibal Godoy is as solid as they come in central midfield, but he turned 34 this month. That won't affect his status as starter, but with Nashville set to make its CONCACAF Champions Cup debut, it will have to be careful with his workload, especially as he continues to play an important role for Panama 's national team.
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If the preseason is any indication, new acquisition Dru Yearwood might have the inside track to start alongside Godoy. The onetime Arsenal youth player saw his role steadily decrease over four seasons with the New York Red Bulls and made just 11 starts in 2023. Still, Yearwood is just 24, and Smith is a fan of his athleticism and ability to cover ground and advance the ball with his feet.
Alex Muyl , who like Godoy is going into his fifth season with Nashville, played more minutes than any non-goalkeeper or defender last season, save for Mukhtar. Muyl's positional versatility will be vital for the club in 2024: a solid chunk of his preseason minutes came at right back.
Nov 7, 2023; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Nashville SC midfielder Alex Muyl (19) and Orlando City goalkeeper Pedro Gallese (1) collide in the first half at Geodis Park. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Sean Davis saw his playing time drop dramatically in 2023 after leading Nashville outfielders in minutes in 2022, though he'll remain an important part of the midfield rotation and should get his share of starts. Brian Anunga made just five starts last season but can be impactful as a substitute. Former Atlanta United player Amar Sejdic is an option if Nashville needs someone to come off the bench and string together a series of passes.
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The wild card here is Randall Leal , who has dealt with a rash of injuries since his eight-goal, nine-assist 2021 campaign and saw his minutes drop in half last season. Leal is recovering from a hamstring injury he picked up while training with the Costa Rica national team and isn't expected to return until mid-to-late March. When fully healthy, though, he's a creative attacker who can take pressure off of Mukhtar.
Isaiah Jones , the second homegrown signee in club history, will continue to develop with Huntsville, for which he made seven appearances in 2023.
Defenders
In contrast to the midfield, Nashville's defense is largely unchanged from last season. Considering no MLS team allowed fewer goals, that's probably for the best.
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When everyone is healthy, three of four starting spots are spoken for: Dan Lovitz at left back, Shaq Moore at right back and Zimmerman at center back.
Jack Maher has evolved into the player Nashville envisioned when it took him No. 2 in its first SuperDraft, while Lukas MacNaughton impressed after coming over in a midseason trade with Toronto FC . Between a nagging Achilles injury and United States national team duty, Zimmerman started just 22 games last season, but Maher and MacNaughton are battling to play alongside him rather than dislodge him.
Nashville SC defender Shaq Moore (18) advances the ball in front of Birmingham Legion FC forward Dawson McCartney (11) during the first half of an MLS preseason soccer match Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn.
Lovitz started 32 games last season and Moore started 31. The pair tied for second on the team with five assists each, while Moore led the team with 50 tackles. Few teams in MLS should feel more confident in their starting fullbacks than Nashville.
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Taylor Washington , the only player still remaining from Nashville's days as a USL club, returns for his seventh season. Washington appeared in 19 games as a substitute last season, the most of any player. Could Joey Skinner, the club's first-round draft pick in 2022, push Washington for backup minutes behind Lovitz? Skinner had an impressive five goals and three assists for Huntsville last season, but has yet to make his first-team debut.
Josh Bauer and Brent Kallman will provide depth at center back. Bauer made four MLS starts in 2023 while Kallman spent the past 11 seasons with Minnesota United before signing with Nashville last week.
MORE: 5 things we learned from Nashville SC's preseason games
Goalkeepers
Joe Willis will turn 36 in August but remains an upper echelon MLS starter. Willis posted 10 clean sheets in 32 league starts and saved 79.7% of the shots he faced, the second-best figure in the league.
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For the third straight season, Willis will be backed up by Elliot Panicco , but calling Panicco a mere backup is selling him short. Panicco was between the posts for all three of Nashville's U.S. Open Cup matches and made four starts during the Leagues Cup, including the final against Inter Miami and Lionel Messi . Of his nine starts across all competitions, he had clean sheets in five.
Nashville is high on 21-year-old Ben Martino , though he'll get most, if not all, of his playing time at Huntsville with two starting-caliber goalies ahead of him.
Jacob Shames can be reached by email at jshames@gannett.com and on Twitter @Jacob_Shames.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Names to know besides Hany Mukhtar for 2024 Nashville SC MLS roster
