The 2024-25 season was a banner year for Nashville SC's youth academy, with many accolades bestowed upon both team and players alike. Now that the season is over, Jeff Remlinger and Ronan Briscoe have teamed up to review the year that was at Currey-Ingram Academy.
In the 2024-25 season, Nashville SC's academy teams had ten players called up to various youth national teams. Most notably, under-18s Anthony Rogalski and Charly Dealmonte were called up to camp with Poland and Mexico respectively, while under-16s Emmanuel Arias, Liam Devan and Liam Stribling were all called up to United States camp.
A further five players beneath the under-16 age group featured in United States camps as well.
On top of this, Nashville's Liam Devan was named an MLS Next All-Star, the third Nashville SC player to do so after Adem Sipić and Chris Applewhite achieved the feat.
SixOneFive Soccer Staff
In addition to the individual accomplishments of many players, three age groups made noteworthy runs deep into various competitions. The under-18 side made it all the way to the Final of the Premier Division at Generation Adidas Cup, only to fall to Brazilian giants Palmeiras.
Meanwhile, both the under-14 and under-15 age groups made deep runs into MLS Next Cup Playoffs, with the under-15s reaching the semifinals, and the under-14s falling in the Round of 16 respectively.
With that in mind, Jeff and Ronan have prepared an FAQ of sorts, answering some of the more common questions about the academy.
Who's next in line to get a homegrown contract?
Jeff Remlinger: I’d have to go with Gabriel Alonso (‘07 LB). I’m not sure if this is a fair answer. The 17-year-old left-back joined The Gold Mine this year from Inter Miami. He immediately trained in preseason with Huntsville, and since the academy season ended, he has started back-to-back games for Huntsville. I believe he was brought in to play professional soccer in the Nashville system, whether it ends up being for Huntsville or Nashville.
His 120 minutes so far in Huntsville can be summarized by gritty defensive work and pressing forward into the attacking third. In many ways, his positioning reminds me of a left-sided, young Andy Nájar. Ronan broke down a recent game of his in this article.
He looks like he’s ready for the physicality of the professional game, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him sign a homegrown deal soon.
Ronan Briscoe: Liam Devan (‘09 CB) is probably the next most likely player to receive a homegrown deal after Alonso, though he hasn’t made any appearances or matchday squads in Huntsville yet. However, he’s playing up an age group, and has youth national team pedigree under his belt already. The U18s seem to have a lot of players that would benefit from a reevaluation in a couple years’ time. This creates a bit of a gulf between Huntsville and the age groups with the highest concentration of talent.
This isn’t to say that there aren’t others in the U18s that could earn homegrown deals, there are, it’s just that many of them are already at the crossroads where they need to make college decisions, and some, most recently and notably Thaddeus Sawyer, who has made a match-day squad in Huntsville, have already made those decisions. It seems likely many will play college ball, which is no bad thing at all.
Who has the highest ceiling in the academy?
JR: Liam Devan (‘09 CB) – The former left-back has fully transitioned to center-back and he’s flourishing there, playing up an age group with the U18s. Devan is a vocal leader for the 18s backline, and despite playing up an age group, he looks like one of the bigger players on the pitch. However, his real strength lies in his passing. In the game I saw against Orlando City he was calm under pressure and constantly played Nashville out of trouble.
I like how Nashville has been developing their centerbacks for the modern game. Applewhite’s passing is the main reason he got a Homegrown deal, and there are a few others in the academy who have impressed me. Keep an eye on Devan; I wouldn’t be surprised if he starts playing with Huntsville now that the academy season is over, and he will certainly be there next year.
Devan was also recently selected for the MLS Next All Star Game. He is Nashville’s 4th selection with the previous two, Sipić and Applewhite, earning Homegrown deals in the year they were named to the team. Devan is younger than Sipić and Applewhite were when they made the allstar game and it’s a testament to his ability and potential.
RB: Liam Stribling has been part of each of the last two USYNT U-15 camps alongside goalkeeper Emmanuel Arias, and, while a bit undersized to be playing the number nine role he’s often filling, he’s still got the time to either grow into it or transition to playing on the wing or as a number ten. He’s scoring a ton of goals, and he seems to be a favorite of national team coaches, that’s about as good a sign of ceiling as you can get, honestly.
Who are some under-the-radar players to watch?
JR: Josh Swanzy (FW, ‘08) is a striker with decent size and excellent hold-up play. He’s currently on trial with Como FC in Italy, so he may not be with Nashville for long. The U18s didn’t have the best attack this past season, so it’s difficult to get a good read on Swanzy. I’d like to see him play with Huntsville if and when he returns from his trial to see how he performs at the professional level.
RB: Tristan Tropeano (FW, '07), even though he scored for Huntsville last season and has made a couple matchday squads this season, might be under-noticed. As an Alabama native, Huntsville fans should be very receptive to him if he makes further appearances in Blue this season.
Looking down the line, what are some names to be aware of?
- Liam Healey (Mid, ‘08) – highly rated midfielder from the Fire’s academy. I unfortunately haven't seen him play, but I’ve heard good things.
- Zion Jones (RB, ‘08) – The next Jones brother in line. I don't think he’s too far off from where Isaiah was at this age.
- Andre Krikorian (DM, ‘09) – a defensive midfielder with impressive passing range
- Salem Chandler (RB, ‘09) – a former winger turned right back. He has all the tools to be an elite RB
- Brady Drennan (DM, ‘09) – a former midfielder who has dropped back to centerback. He has good size and still has the passing ability of a midfielder.
- Kleyber Estrada (FW, ‘09) – He's not the tallest, but he does everything for the U16s going forward. He was in preseason with Huntsville
- Aiden Byasiima (CM, ‘10) – has played with the U16s. A strong midfielder and quality dribbler.
- Isac Enriquez (CB, ‘08) – A new recruit for next year. He should be a weekly starter for the 18s. He was also named an MLS Next All Star, playing with De Anza Force in 2024-25.
What should your expectations be over the next 2 years?
JR: Starting with the current crop of Homegrowns, you'd like to see 17-year-old Chris Applewhite establish himself as the fourth or maybe even the third choice center back over the next 2 years. And we’re starting to get to crunch time with Sipić and Jones, as their contracts end after the 2027 season. They need to become at least weekly starters in Huntsville at some point this year or next, otherwise I can't see them getting extended. There’s still time for them, so we're not going to go too deep on this point just yet, but it’s ticking away.
The U18s aren't the strongest age group to come through the academy, but Nashville has done a good job recruiting to keep the level up with players like Salem Chandler (‘09 RB), Joshua Swanzy (‘08 FW), Isac Enriquez, and Gabriel Alonso. You’d like to maintain a pace of one Homegrown every year or so, and I think they’ll find one in the current group.
After the U18s, it ramps up quickly. Given how the U14s, U15s, and U16s performed this past year, it’s very possible that in two years, Nashville will be regarded as having a top 10 academy in MLS.
RB: Huntsville seems like it’s going to continue being a healthy mix of youth and experience, with the club appearing to want to create a very professional environment rather than just being extra game time for academy kids you aren’t sure about yet, as it is elsewhere in MLS Next Pro.
What does that mean for the academy? I’ve used this phrase quite a bit, but they’ve gotta “earn it”. Minutes aren’t going to be given out for free, and Huntsville appears to be more than willing to allow players to go the college route if it comes to it. After all, MLS rights are retained and if they blossom in the NCAA ranks, Nashville can just sign them then anyway.
What is the deepest position in the academy?
JR: I think I said center-back last year, and I’m going to stick with center-back. As I mentioned earlier, Nashville has begun to produce some high-quality, athletic, ball-playing center-backs that suit the modern game. And for me it’s the depth across all levels that makes this the best position. At every age group the starting pair is worth a mention and they can all play their way into a homegrown contract. It isn't a weakness at any level. This is a nice feather in the cap for the scouting department as well as Nashville’s ability to develop these players.
RB: It may very well be goalkeeper, as wild as it is to say. Ammar Delić and Kai Yandall have both shown good promise with the U18s, and Delić has started a couple games for Huntsville. Beneath that group, Emmanuel Arias has been featured in multiple youth national team camps with his age group.
Maybe not the “star power” position group you’d predict to be here, the academy also has tons of good wingers and fullbacks, but goalkeeper is a position group that is very rewarding to be able to under-spend on relative to production, and having a conveyor belt of them is very helpful in that sense.
Final thoughts?
JR: Nashville is still suffering from their decision to wait on starting an academy until after they joined MLS. In six seasons, they only have one homegrown who is a bit player for the first team. But they’re about to hit gold.
The U16s are easily the best group to come through the academy, the U15s are better than the U16s, and the U14s might be better than the U15s. It’s still years down the road but you can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
In the mean time, I think Nashville has done an excellent job supporting their academy with older recruits and bringing some young Americans into Huntsville like Andrew Carleton, Maximus Ekk, and Damian Baker-John who can patch some of the holes left by the academy.
RB: Nashville’s academy has taken a few years to really get rolling, but it seems like the younger the age group, the higher concentration of talent relative to their peers. It doesn’t seem coincidental that the U14s and U15s were the two age groups to qualify for MLS Next Cup Playoffs.
Relatively new Academy Director Darren Powell has a very good foundation to work with, and a good crop of young talent to nurture. The Nashville academy seems to be on an upward trajectory, generally, and that’s an exciting thing. The bottom of the roster is where MLS Cups can be won and lost, and the academy is incredibly important to filling that part of the roster out.
Don’t get ahead of yourselves just yet, Nashville fans, but the future is looking promising.
