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There's just so little to say about Nashville SC without Hany Mukhtar | Estes
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- There's just so little to say about Nashville SC without Hany Mukhtar | Estes
The start of Nashville SC 's 2024 Major League Soccer season was about what didn't happen.
Nashville SC didn't score a goal, and its star midfielder, Hany Mukhtar, didn't play . Its second-highest paid team member, striker Sam Surridge , didn't play, either.
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Ultimately, though, Nashville didn't lose without them . The New York Red Bulls didn't take advantage and also didn't score. Sunday's 0-0 draw at GEODIS Park was a drab bookend to Nashville's newest MLS campaign, which seems destined — like previous seasons — to revolve around one player.
As always, there's just so little to say about Nashville SC unless it's about Mukhtar.
The MLS 2022 MVP sat out after appearing to tweak his hamstring during Thursday night's 3-0 first-leg victory in the Dominican Republic over Moca FC in the first round of the CONCACAF Champions Cup. Before exiting in the first half, Mukhtar looked his usual self. Meaning that he was everywhere. In 34 minutes, he had a goal and an assist.
Nashville SC midfielder Hany Mukhtar (10) and Birmingham Legion FC forward Mataeo Bunbury (47) complete for the ball during the first half of an MLS preseason soccer match Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn.
Nashville coach Gary Smith is optimistic that Mukhtar's absence won't be long term, which is a good thing for a club contesting its first regional tournament (think UEFA Champions League , except the version in our part of the world) in addition to a regular MLS schedule.
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Without its star Sunday, Nashville was adrift offensively and fortunate to draw and earn a point. New York dominated much of the game, building a 16-5 advantage in shots. Nashville didn't send its first shot on goal until the 58thminute. Its first corner kick was in the 83th minute, during a lively late surge that spawned its lone highlights of the evening.
The expected goals metric on MLS.com — an evaluation of how many goals each team should have scored — was unkind. It had New York at 1.5 and Nashville at a lowly 0.2.
"I don't know that there will be a harder-fought point for us all year," Smith said.
Hard to believe that much can be pinned on one absence, but anyone who has followed Nashville SC since its MLS arrival in 2020 knows Mukhtar is the one player this club can't win without.
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It has been a theme — and a criticism — for years that Nashville is too reliant on him to score and create opportunities for others. For all of Mukhtar's brilliance, Nashville doesn't have a championship to show for his efforts here, despite having been a regular playoff team.
It's fair to wonder what'll change that in 2024. After swapping a few complementary pieces for others in the offseason, Nashville is sensibly projected to roam the upper-middle part of MLS' pecking order, where it has lived for a while. Last year's prized signing, Surridge, should help when he's healthy (Thursday's game sidelined him, too). Same for Randall Leal , if he can ever stay healthy. Newcomer Tyler Boyd shows promise on the offensive end.
But it's also fair to wonder how much longer Nashville's window stays open with Mukhtar.
He is about to turn 29. He's said to be less than satisfied with his contract, going back to when Nashville rejected a Qatari club's $7 million bid for him last summer, according to The Athletic . It's not that Mukhtar wanted to leave, but . . .
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In league salaries released by the MLS Players Association (as of Sept. 15, 2023), Mukhtar ranked No. 16 in guaranteed annual compensation at roughly $3.18 million. There are not 15 players in MLS who are clearly better than Mukhtar. There's one: Inter Miami 's Lionel Messi was No. 1 on the list at more than $20 million.
With Mukhtar signed through 2025, however, there would be little urgency for the club to want to negotiate a new deal.
And that, folks, is how storm clouds often develop in pro sports relationships. It's a watch right now, not a warning. Conditions are favorable for bad weather, though. We'll see.
Meanwhile, we glimpsed Sunday what Nashville's attack looks like without Mukhtar, and it was exactly as you'd have expected.
Feb 25, 2024; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Nashville SC goalkeeper Joe Willis (1) sets the defense before a corner kick by the New York Red Bulls during the first half at Geodis Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-USA TODAY Sports
What happened against New York, we've seen before. Nashville has long been a tough-minded squad with a tough-minded coach in Smith and an underrated goalkeeper in Joe Willis . When you ask this bunch to hunker down and survive to grind out a 0-0 draw, it can still do that.
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But that's not how Nashville is going to progress from good to great.
It'll take more offensive firepower. Yes, that'll necessitate breakouts from others around Mukhtar, but Nashville SC still isn't anywhere close without him.
What we already knew, a scoreless MLS opener only validated.
Reach Tennessean sports columnist Gentry Estes at gestes@tennessean.com and on the X platform (formerly known as Twitter) @Gentry_Estes.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: In 2024, Nashville SC, as ever, will lean on Hany Mukhtar to win
