"Bad teams rebuild. Good teams reload."
Nashville SC General Manager and President of Soccer Operations Mike Jacobs was characteristically blunt with his assessment of the club's 2025 season and preparations for 2026, preparations that are fully underway less than two weeks after their elimination from the MLS Cup Playoffs.
"I definitely don't want our fans to think that there's some consolation or 'kiss your sister' that we lost to Miami. Losing sucks to anybody," he told SixOneFive Soccer and a select group of local media after an end-of-season roundtable, discussing the season and the plan going forward. "It hurts not to be playing right now... A great season at home in front of our fans at Geodis [Park], a US Open Cup final. There's a lot of positives look back on in a great great season. But for anybody's a serious competitor, you're always gonna have a sour taste your mouth after losing a game."
Ahead of schedule in 2025
Looking back on the 2025 campaign, Jacobs was unsurprisingly pleased with how the club improved in their first full year under head coach BJ Callaghan, winning their first trophy and matching the club record with 54 points on the table. He was also clear that he wants more.
"[Going into the season], in my mind I kind of thought 48 points would get you in the playoffs. We wouldn't even made the playoffs if we were at 48 points," he said. "It was a historic year for our team. It's a historic season for a league. I think the reality is we play in a very tough conference with some very very good teams. I don't see getting easier. I think it only gets harder."
