Nashville SC has hired United States men's national team assistant B.J. Callaghan as its coach.
Callaghan will officially join Nashville on July 22, ahead of its Leagues Cup opener against Mazatlán on July 31. Interim coach Rumba Munthali will continue to lead Nashville (6-6-8, 26 points) through its next five games, including Wednesday's match against the Columbus Crew .
"Taking the head coach position at Nashville SC is an incredible opportunity and an exciting next step in my career," Callaghan said in a club release. "I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to Gregg Berhalter for his mentorship and support throughout my time with the U.S. Men's National Team. The experience I've gained here has been invaluable, and I'm deeply appreciative of the relationships and memories made along the way.
"While I am thrilled to embark on this new journey, it is bittersweet to leave a team and staff that I believe in so deeply. I have full confidence in the exceptional coaching staff we have in place and know the team is in great hands. As we approach the 2026 World Cup, I'll be cheering on the team every step of the way. Thank you to everyone at U.S. Soccer for the support and camaraderie. It has truly been an honor."
Callaghan, who has been with the USMNT since 2019 and led the team to a CONCACAF Nations League championship in 2023 as interim coach, will become the second permanent head coach in NSC history. He replaces Gary Smith, who was fired on May 16 after the club's slow start in 2024 .
"We are so excited to usher in this new era for Nashville Soccer Club with B.J. as our head coach," Nashville SC general manager Mike Jacobs said. "B.J. has a tremendous amount of experience that spans all levels of soccer at the highest levels of the game and has excelled throughout the MLS ecosystem. He is an exceptional leader who gets the most out of the players and teams that he has coached and brings a hard-working and relentless mentality to our club. B.J. is ready for this opportunity to continue to build and develop a winning culture and is the right person to drive our club's ambition for success."
Callaghan, 43, is from Ventnor City, New Jersey, and played soccer at Ursinus College, where he was a goalkeeper. After graduating, Callaghan became an assistant at Ursinus in 2003. He then served as an assistant women's coach at St. Joseph's (2004-05) and Villanova (06-07).
In 2008, Callaghan became an assistant for the Villanova men's team. In 2012, he was hired by the Philadelphia Union as an academy coach while still working at Villanova, and a year later joined the Union full time. When Jim Curtin became the Union's coach in 2014, he added Callaghan to his staff.
With the Union, Callaghan's main duties were "team defending, opponent analysis, set-piece design, player development and scouting," per US Soccer . In five seasons together, Callaghan and Curtin coached Philadelphia to three runner-up finishes in the U.S. Open Cup and two playoff berths.
In 2019, Callaghan left the Union to join Berhalter's staff with the USMNT as an assistant coach and strategy analyst. He was "chiefly responsible for implementing work flows and processes for stronger opponent analysis, as well as how the technical staff would analyze and develop the game model for the USMNT," per US Soccer.
Callaghan remained with the USMNT through the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar , helping the team advance to the round of 16. He stayed on as an assistant after Berhalter's contract expired at the end of 2022, and became interim head coach after Anthony Hudson resigned prior to the Nations League semifinals. The U.S. routed Mexico 3-0 in the semifinals and beat Canada 2-0 in the final.
The United States Soccer Federation rehired Berhalter in June 2023, but Callaghan remained the head coach through that summer's Gold Cup, leading the USMNT to the semifinals. Callaghan went back to his old role under Berhalter after the Gold Cup.
Nashville has gone 3-2-3 under Munthali and is in seventh place in the Eastern Conference, three places ahead of where it was when Smith was fired. The club has not missed the playoffs in four seasons as an MLS franchise.
MORE: How Nashville SC can address its biggest needs with MLS summer transfer window looming
Jacob Shames can be reached by email at jshames@gannett.com and on Twitter @Jacob_Shames.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville SC hires BJ Callaghan, USMNT assistant, as coach
