NASHVILLE, TN – Nashville SC announced their full 2026 preseason roster on Monday.
The club will spend the next two weeks in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, before returning to Nashville for the week of January 26. They'll return to Florida for another two weeks, before returning to Music City to begin their 2026 season.
Below is their full preseason roster:
Players currently under contract with NSC
- Bryan Acosta (Midfielder)
- Chris Applewhite (Defender)
- Josh Bauer (Defender)
- Matthew Corcoran (Midfielder)
- Cristian Espinoza (Midfielder)
- Jordan Knight (Defender)
- Isaiah LeFlore (Defender)
- Dan Lovitz (Defender)
- Warren Madrigal (Forward)
- Jack Maher (Defender)
- Shak Mohammed (Midfielder)
- Hany Mukhtar (Midfielder)
- Alex Muyl (Midfielder)
- Andy Najar (Defender)
- Woobens Pacius (Forward)
- Jeisson Palacios (Defender)
- Jonathan Pérez (Midfielder)
- Ahmed Qasem (Midfielder)
- Brian Schwake (Goalkeeper)
- Sam Surridge (Forward)
- Eddi Tagseth (Midfielder)
- Xavier Valdez (Goalkeeper)
- Thomas Williams (Defender)
- Joe Willis (Goalkeeper)
- Maxwell Woledzi (Defender)
- Patrick Yazbek (Midfielder)
Players not currently under contract with NSC
- Ethan Ballek (Forward, 2025 MLS SuperDraft selection)
- Sam Bassett (Midfielder, Trialist)
- Ciaran Dalton (Goalkeeper, Trialist)
- Maximus Ekk (Forward, Huntsville City Football Club)
- Charles-Emile Brunet (Midfielder, 2026 MLS SuperDraft selection)
- Alioune Ka (Forward, Huntsville City Football Club)
- Nick Pariano (Midfielder, Huntsville City Football Club)
- Nicklaus Sullivan (Forward, Huntsville City Football Club)
- Moises Veliz (Midfielder, Huntsville City Football Club)
Max Ekk is listed as under contract with Huntsville City FC, after his Nashville SC option was declined. The striker spent most of 2025 recovering from a torn ACL, but came back late in the season to score three goals in seven MLS NEXT Pro matches with Huntsville.
He signed with Huntsville in 2024, with his contract automatically escalating to Nashville in '25. Similarly, he moves back to a Huntsville contract for 2026, but has potential to develop into more first-team minutes.
Ben Wright
Only two trialists are in camp who aren't signed with Huntsville City. Sam Bassett is a 22-year-old defensive midfielder who last played for the Colorado Rapids. The younger brother of Cole Bassett, he's played 15 matches with the Rapids and 16 times for their MLS NEXT Pro team.
Goalkeeper Ciaran Dalton is a product of the New York Red Bulls academy, where he made one appearance for their reserve team in the 2020 USL Championship season. From 2022-2025, he played collegiately with Rutgers, making 218 saves in 61 career appearances. In the past, Huntsville City FC have signed unsigned college goalkeepers after bringing them into training camp with Nashville, and Dalton could be the next in that pipeline.
Two SuperDraft picks are in training camp. Ethan Ballek (22) is an attacking midfielder selected in the third round (66th overall pick) in 2025. He scored 20 goals and assisted 10 in 56 career appearances. Charles-Emile Brunet (22) was selected in the third round (80th overall pick) this year, and a CF Montréal academy product. He was a standout at the MLS college showcase, and an adept ball-progresser. He could opt to return for another season in college, with two more years of eligibility. Both seem like potential candidates for Huntsville City FC contracts.
Two players, Nick Pariano and Nicklaus Sullivan, are listed as Huntsville City FC players, despite not being officially announced yet. Pariano is a 22-year-old midfielder who came through the Philadelphia Union academy, signing a homegrown contract ahead of the 2024 season. The No. 6 spent his entire time with the club in MLS NEXT Pro, making 52 appearances in two seasons. He started 27 matches in the 2025 season, and will be a high-level addition to Huntsville.
Sullivan is a 23-year-old attacker who last played for the LA Galaxy. He made one appearance for the first team in 2025, signed to a short-term loan agreement from their MLS NEXT Pro side. He scored nine goals and added seven assists in 35 games with Ventura County FC (LA Galaxy) and Los Angeles FC 2.
