BJ Callaghan has come into Nashville SC and turned a defensive-minded, counter-attacking team into an exciting, possession-based attack. Nowhere has his influence been more apparent than at the fullback position.
Between Andy Najar, Dan Lovitz and Josh Bauer, Nashville fullbacks have contributed six goals and seven assists through 13 matches so far this season. According to American Soccer Analysis, who only track primary assists, Nashville's fullbacks have logged 11 goal contributions in 2025. That's the most-ever in a season for the Coyotes, and they're barely a third of the way through the year.
Let's dive into the numbers to figure out what's made Nashville's fullbacks so effective.
All data in this article is accurate as of May 8.
The perfect partnership
On the left is winter signing Andy Najar. It’s so rare for a player to hit the ground running as quickly as Najar has, but that’s the benefit of signing an older, MLS veteran.
Najar is the ball progressor and chance creator of the duo. Comparing him to all fullbacks in MLS with at least 500 minutes, only Christian Espinoza (a playmaking winger shoehorned into San Jose's lineup as a nominal wingback) has more yey passes per 90. Najar is also fourth in progressive actions for MLS fullbacks, trailing the elite group of Kai Wagner, Jordi Alba, and Luca Petrasso.
Najar’s ability to create up the wing allows for the midfield to focus on defense and high recoveries. It also opens up Nashville to create overloads in the wide area, which has been one of their preferred attack methods.
His counterpart on the left is a familiar name with a new role. Dan Lovitz has been revitalized under BJ Callaghan. I don’t mean to imply that he was bad before BJ got here; he’s just flashing a skillset we haven’t seen.
He's already hit a career high with two goals this season. His three assists have him just one off his personal best that he set in 2021-2023. Often asked to played a more fullback role, often tucking in to a back three or even eating up minutes at center back in a pinch, Lovitz has become an attacking, modern fullback to fit their new style.
Game influence
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Nashville’s dominance on the pitch starts on the wings and works inside. In the graph above, the pitch is segmented into 30 pieces. Orange means NSC has a higher attacking Goals Added (G+) rating than the league average in that zone. Blue means NSC has a lower attacking G+ rating.
The darker orange or blue a section is, the further above or below average NSC is. Andy Najar is on the right, and Dan Lovtiz is on the left, controlling the wide areas of the pitch.
It can be difficult to apply G+ to tangible results on the field, so here's another way to look at it. Below are the NSC pass maps from the 2-1 win over Real Salt Lake.
Nashville dominated the underlying metrics in this match but needed a late penalty to win the game. The Boys in Gold consistently entered the final third on the outside of the pitch. From there, they could easily control the ball around the RSL box and pick their moments. 75% of their passes in the final third come from the outside zones. 81% of the passes into the box come from the outside zones.
This final graph shows how the fullbacks have fixed NSC’s ball progression issue from 2024. Similarly to the graph above, orange indicates above average while blue indicates below average, except this time, it’s progressive pass attempts.
Once again, we can see how Nashville use their fullbacks and involve other players on the outside of the pitch to bring the ball forward. Last year, Nashville were 27th in Progressive Passes. This year, thanks to their two fullbacks, they’re up to 19th.
The fullbacks have been the unsung heroes for Nashville SC in 2025; I’ve barely mentioned Josh Bauer, who has three goals in all competitions this season. They’re also the perfect example of one of Callaghan's most oft-repeated sayings: “Everyone attacks and everyone defends.”
Nashville has been searching for another attacking contributor for years. In 2025, they've found three in their fullbacks.
