Caught soccer fever this summer? You’re not alone.
The FIFA World Cup has captured the hearts and minds of billions across the globe, introducing waves of new fans to the beauty of the world’s game. But soccer doesn’t stop when the tournament ends in July, and fortunately for you — and any other newly minted fanatics here in Music City — there’s a team just down the road worthy of your attention.
With one of its most devoted sets of fans, the largest soccer-specific stadium in the country and one of its most exciting rosters, Nashville SC has been the team to watch in Major League Soccer in 2026. The Boys in Gold sit first in their conference and the league-wide table, holding MLS’s best defensive record, fewest number of losses and third-highest goal tally. If you’re looking for a good team to follow, you needn’t look far.
Here’s what you need to know about Nashville’s historic 2026 season and what to expect once it returns to play in just over two weeks’ time.
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The journey so far
In many ways, Nashville’s barnstorming 2026 campaign is a continuation of the historic season which preceded it. The Boys in Gold were superb in 2025, securing the first trophy in club history after a 2-1 victory in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup final, in addition to team records for wins and goals scored. In 2022 MLS MVP Hany Mukhtar, 2025 MLS Golden Boot runner-up Sam Surridge and All-Star defender Andy Najar, Nashville possessed one of the most talented spines in the league, as well as one of its most industrious midfields and exciting array of youngsters. A roster built to compete at the highest level proved it could, laying the groundwork for a 2026 season aimed toward further successes.
That began with another productive offseason. Free agent winger and two-time MLS All-Star Cristian Espinoza from San Jose was the marquee add on the right wing. But Maxwell Woledzi, Reed Baker-Whiting and Warren Madrigal proved astute signings as well, increasing Nashville’s tactical fluidity and depth across the pitch. That was important as Nashville looked to fight on three fronts, both domestically and across North America.
Under the tutelage of head coach B.J. Callaghan, Nashville’s rejuvenated roster immediately looked among the league’s best. The Boys in Gold sent four goals past New England Revolution at their home opener at GEODIS Park in February, with Surridge, Mukhtar and Madrigal each finding the net. The latter logged a pair of assists as well, cementing his league debut as the best in club history.
Nashville followed that up with a hard-fought 0-0 draw at FC Dallas, a match which handed Brian Schwake his first clean sheet as an MLS goalkeeper. The 24-year-old emerged as one of the premier shot-stoppers in the league after spending 2025 as Nashville’s cup goalkeeper, playing an integral role in the team’s Open Cup triumph — including a penalty save in the final.
March was when the Boys in Gold and their new-look attack really jolted to life. A 3-1 demolition of Minnesota United at home, in which Espinoza scored his first Nashville goal, preceded a two-leg triumph against Inter Miami in the Concacaf Champions Cup where Espinoza canceled out fellow Argentine Lionel Messi’s opener. Espinoza dropped his man to assist Mukhtar for a last-gasp winner at Columbus Crew. And to close the month, the Boys in Gold obliterated historic rival Orlando City 5-0 at home, with Espinoza and Madrigal scoring spectacular goals either side of a Surridge hat trick.
Nashville was comfortably the best team in the Eastern Conference by that point. The Boys in Gold had yet to taste defeat in nine matches in all competitions and had secured shutouts in six of them, sitting top of the conference ahead of the spring international window.
A 1-0 defeat at Chicago Fire in the first weekend of April put a blip on Nashville’s spectacular resume. But normal service soon resumed, winning the other three MLS games that month by a combined score of 8-3, including midfielder Eddi Tagseth’s first goal for the club in a scintillating 2-1 triumph at Charlotte. The Boys in Gold also became the first MLS team to ever win a competitive match at Mexico City’s hallowed Estadio Azteca — the only soccer stadium to host three FIFA World Cups — against Liga MX titan Club América in the Champions Cup.
Come mid-May, a vital window before a two-month-long summer hiatus, the Boys in Gold found themselves staring down two matches that could define the course of the rest of their season. A pair of draws against Philadelphia Union and D.C. United threw some jeopardy into Nashville’s hold on the Eastern Conference ahead of a rematch with a much-improved New England in Foxborough, Mass. The Revolution, second in the conference at that point, were the only MLS side who had won every match at home, posing a stern test for the longtime conference leaders. Even still, a rotated Nashville side found the gear necessary to snap that streak and emerge deserved 3-0 winners, with Bryan Acosta scoring the first two goals of his Nashville career in the process. That win also marked Nashville’s 100th since joining MLS in 2020.
Mukhtar’s home hat-trick against LAFC four days later handed the Boys in Gold top spot in the league table, a position they would hold into the summer break. A 2-1 victory against New York City FC in which Woledzi and fellow center-back Jeisson Palacios both found the back of the net for the first time this season closed out a remarkable spring for Nashville.
Coming into a home clash against Atlanta on July 17 — Nashville first’ match in nearly two months — the Boys in Gold are the only MLS team yet to lose at home. They have three MLS All-Stars (Schwake, Mukhtar and Najar), the most of any team. They have allowed 17 fewer goals than 2025 MLS Cup Champion Miami, who sits second in the East. Their start to league play, with 33 points through 14 games, is the best of any club in 25 years.
What’s to come
For all its successes so far, Nashville has only played 40% of the 2026 league season. It still has 20 MLS games to go, many against the league’s elite.
Chief among that list is a pair of matches against Inter Miami, the first of which is slated for August 15 at GEODIS Park. But games against FC Cincinnati — one of the Boys in Golds’ main rivals throughout their shared time in MLS — and Red Bull New York, a rematch with Chicago and a battle with fellow Supporters’ Shield chaser San Jose also beckon. Each will present a stern test for the high-flying Boys in Gold.
In terms of personal accolades, Surridge remains in the Golden Boot hunt with nine goals in eight appearances, with Espinoza just one assist shy of the playmaking lead. Schwake sits two clean sheets back of LAFC’s Hugo Lloris. Tagseth and midfield partner Patrick Yazbek both eye returns from injury to anchor the center of the park and Ahmed Qasem comes back to Music City after a pair of starts for Iraq at the World Cup. That’s not to mention Madrigal, who looks to continue his superb breakout season, Woledzi or Palacios, who hope to maintain the league’s best defense, or Callaghan, who is well in the race for Coach of the Year in his second full season.
The Boys in Gold are still alive for three trophies this season: the MLS Cup trophy, the Supporters’ Shield and Leagues Cup, which starts in August. The way they’ve played so far indicates they’ll be competitive for all three. And with soccer fever gripping the country, now’s as great a time as any to hop on the bandwagon. We’d be happy to have you.
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You’re invited to experience Music City Soccer at GEODIS Park and see what makes it unlike any other event in Nashville.
