Nashville SC kick off their 2026 season tonight, entering the year with more expectations than ever before.
Here are the 11 biggest questions Nashville need to answer this season.
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Can Nashville's game model evolve?
Nashville saw drastic changes in their approach in BJ Callaghan's first full season as head coach. With a much less reactive approach than Gary Smith, the 'Yotes strove to impose their will on the game through a mix of high pressure off the ball and repeatable patterns of play with it. The results were obvious, with Nashville's 75 goals in all competitions the most they've scored in a single season.
In 2026, that game model needs to continue to advance. Nashville will try to play a higher line, keeping the field even more compact, and command even more of the ball than before. Their ability to consistently create chances against a low block will go a long way to determining where they stand in the final table.
Can Nashville be a high-level team on the road?
In 2025, Nashville were the third-best team in MLS at home. At Geodis Park, the 'Yotes won 11 of their 17 matches for an average of 2.11 points per game. They lost just three games at home, and out-scored their opponents 36-17.
It was a different story away from home. On the road, Nashville dropped to 19th overall. Averaging just 1.05 points a game, they only won five road matches, losing nine and drawing three, and getting outscored 22-28.
Obviously, winning on the road is hard in soccer. It's especially hard in MLS, where away teams won just 31% of matches last season. Nashville's 29% win rate on the road wasn't calamitous, but it certainly put them behind teams like Cincinnati, Philadelphia, Chicago and Miami, and was a reason for their fall to sixth place in the table.
Maintaining their standards at home, paired with even a marginal improvement on the road, will catapult them to another level.
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How much will Cristian Espinoza level up Nashville's attack?
With 39 goals and 76 assists in 236 matches, Cristian Espinoza has been one of MLS's premier attackers since he joined the San Jose Earthquakes in 2019. In fact, only Hany Mukhtar (131), Lucho Acosta (112), Carles Gil (111) and Carlos Vela (104) are ahead of his 99 primary goal contributions, per American Soccer Analysis. Adding that level of productivity to Nashville's frontline should be a guaranteed improvement.
How he fits on the pitch, though, is another question. With Nashville looking to use more three-man shapes in buildup, he'll have to coordinate his positioning with Andy Nájar, picking when to stay wide and when to tuck inside. It might take a while to iron out the details, but on talent alone, Espinoza will take this squad to another level.
