Nashville SC enters 2026 season with championship expectations
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Geodis Park. Photo: Mickey Bernal/Getty Images
Nashville SC is starting the 2026 season with great expectations.
Why it matters: Heading into the home opener Saturday, team leaders have projected confidence that this could be a breakthrough year.
The big picture: General manager and president of soccer operations Mike Jacobs said last month that Nashville is developing the pedigree of a top-tier team.
- Although it stalled out in the first round of the 2025 MLS playoffs, the team won the U.S. Open Cup for the first time in club history.
- Nashville also signed free agent Cristian Espinoza, one of the league's top performers.
Between the lines: Espinoza could represent a significant upgrade for the club. Jacobs called him "the best attacking player in the league not named Lionel Messi," per the Tennessean.
- Espinoza will join established Nashville heavyweights Hany Mukhtar and Sam Surridge.
The latest: Leadership signaled their approval of the coaching staff ahead of the home opener, extending coach B.J. Callaghan's contract through the 2028-29 season.
- By the numbers: Last year in his first full season as head coach, Callaghan led the club to 22 wins, the most in franchise history.
- Nashville SC scored 75 goals during the season, another record-setting number for the young team.
The bottom line: Jacob says Nashville is heading into 2026 with a lot of momentum.
What he's saying: "The window of opportunity is right now for us to take advantage," Jacobs told reporters in January.
The intrigue: Some experts agree. Felipe Cardenas, a senior writer for The Athletic, selected Nashville this week as his pick to win the MLS Cup.
- Cardenas said adding Espinoza to the roster should give Nashville SC "a creative spark it desperately needs."
"Start planning the parade through Lower Broadway," he said.
If you go: The home opener against New England Revolution is Saturday at 7:30pm. Tickets are still available starting at $24.
How to watch: If you'd rather cheer on the Boys in Gold from your couch, you can catch the game live on Apple TV+.