For the first time in the franchise’s Major League Soccer history, Nashville SC will be without longtime captain Walker Zimmerman in 2026.
The franchise cornerstone and backline stalwart, who had been with NSC since 2020, was not re-signed following the 2025 campaign, a season that saw the Boys in Gold win the first trophy in club history with a 2-1 victory over Austin FC in the U.S. Open Cup final. Nashville also advanced to the MLS Cup playoffs thanks to a torrid start — fueled in part by smart offseason additions like surprise all-star Andy Najar and Norwegian Energizer Bunny Edvard Tagseth — but stalled in the first round following a loss to familiar foe Lionel Messi and Inter Miami.
For a brief period, it was looking like the two-time MLS Defender of the Year and former United States Men’s National Team captain wasn’t going to be the only fixture headed out the door — the club’s longtime starting goalkeeper Joe Willis was also not re-signed. However, the team decided to bring back the 15-year veteran on a one-year deal, presumably to back up 24-year-old Brian Schwake. Despite not appearing in an MLS contest in 2025, Schwake won all five of his U.S. Open Cup starts.
As the Major League Soccer season draws to a close, the Boys in Gold are chasing trophies
Former league MVP Hany Mukhtar is still here, giving opposing defenses nightmares alongside goal fiend Sam Surridge. (Only Messi himself scored more times than Surridge in 2025.) But with a full year under head coach B.J. Callaghan — whose style has proven to be much different than previous manager Gary Smith’s clenched-teeth, low-scoring “Gary Ball” — now in the books and an influx of exciting young players, Nashville is going through its first true changing of the guard in the MLS era. Considering the franchise won its first cup and advanced to the playoffs for the fifth time in six seasons, this isn’t a Titans-style, full-on rebuild — but it’s at least a soft reboot.
With the aforementioned Tennessee Titans currently operating as one of the NFL’s sad-sackiest franchises and the Nashville Predators struggling to maintain any semblance of consistency, it’s up to Nashville SC to carry the torch for Music City pro sports. (Sorry, but the city’s everlasting pursuit of both MLB and WNBA teams is looking more dire than ever.) NSC has proven to be a steady franchise with regular postseason appearances and deep cup runs, and that consistency has helped build a strong fan base. But an actual MLS Cup, or at least a run to the championship match, might be needed for the team to take the next step toward embedding its roots deep in the local sports scene. It’s a challenge Callaghan and company just might be up for.
Update: On Wednesday, after this story had gone to press, Nashville SC signed Argentinian winger Cristian Espinoza, arguably the top attacking free agent on the market. The two-time all-star will become NSC's third designated player.
From midterm elections and the Music City Loop to zoning reform and AI, here are eight stories to watch in the coming year
