Ahead of each season, hope springs eternal for every fan of every team.
In Miami, fans dream of setting records. Up the East Coast, DC fans keep repeating, “I’m starting to see the vision.” It’s inevitable. And here in Nashville, hopes have never been higher.
I like to do a little exercise with myself where I identify areas where things could realistically go wrong – what does Nashville’s floor look like then? To be honest, I’ve really struggled to keep my hope under control for this team in 2026. So I turned it over to the fans to see what you’re concerned about, and now I’m here to give you the confidence to hop on my hype train.
Step into my hopium den and let’s get hyped.
Winger depth
Have to be worried about the outside winger and central mid depth. Acosta and Qasem being first off the bench is not ideal. Any injuries to the top 11 we take a major step backwards.
— Lowry Wilson (@lowrywilson77) February 13, 2026
After Jonny Perez’s sale to Chivas, a lot of fans have voiced their concern about winger depth. And I agree we probably need another body there. But do we really?
My colleague Ben Wright pointed out in his expectations article from earlier last week that Cristian Espinoza and Alex Muyl are workhorses who rarely miss games. Espinoza has missed just nine out of a potential 227 for the 'Quakes, while Alex Muyl has missed just 12 league matches since 2020. These guys should be available for basically all of Nashville’s games.
Ben Wright
But freak injuries happen. If or when they strike, what does that do to Nashville’s floor? Well, they’re right back where they were last year. Unreliable wingers and an over-reliance on Hany Mukhtar and Sam Surridge, which we saw has a floor of about 54 points and sixth place in the East.
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Fullback depth
I think losing Najar or Lovitz would really impede us. I don't think we have the right subs for them yet.
— (@deweydtruman.bsky.social) 2026-02-14T16:37:15.750Z
The most common concern I've heard from Nashville fans is about the depth at fullback. This was an ultra-valid concern before the Reed Baker-Whiting trade.
Ben Wright
Dan Lovitz has been the definition of an iron man for Nashville SC. He’s played at least 2,200 minutes in each of his professional seasons except for his first year and the COVID-shortened season. But he’s not getting any younger at 34, and health isn't guaranteed at that age.
The same applies on the right side with Andy Nájar. According to FB Ref, 2025 was the first time Nájar has played more than 2,000 minutes in a season since 2016. And even though he was able to stay healthy through the year, the minutes added up by the end, and he wasn’t playing at the same level as the start of the season. An injury to either of those two would certainly lower Nashville’s ceiling, but I don’t think the floor would drop out.
