Huntsville City FC are now in year four of their time in MLS NEXT Pro, and the full development pipeline from the academy to the first team is beginning to bear fruit on a consistent basis.
The Billy Goats just locked up their second consecutive playoff appearance, as they prepare to take on New York Red Bulls II on October 11th.
SixOneFive Soccer Staff
Taking cues from the world of baseball, we've decided to rank the 10 best prospects currently playing under the Nashville SC umbrella. Our methodology ranks grades based on three main criteria: age, perceived ceiling, and likelihood of a first-team appearance next season in any competition.
In addition, we've limited the pool to players with fewer than five first-team appearances for Nashville in all competitions in 2026, eliminating players like Charles-Émile Brunet from consideration, even though they would've likely made the list otherwise.
These rankings will be updated periodically moving forward, with the grading system becoming more refined over time. It's important to remember that Huntsville rosters are generally incredibly fluid year-over-year, and so our grades may not be necessarily indicative of the player's future within the system.
Tired of cheering for bad Nashville sports teams? We've got you covered.
Nashville SC are the best team in Major League Soccer, and we're offering 50% off new yearly subscriptions. Take it from us; following a Nashville team can actually be fun!
10th: Andre Krikorian, DM/CM
• Birth year: 2009
• Nationalities: USA 🇺🇸, Armenia 🇦🇲
• Career Huntsville appearances: 3
Andre Krikorian is set to turn 18 on the eve of the sprint seasons in both MLS and MLS Next Pro, and has at times been compared to New York Red Bulls starlet Adri Mehmeti in his playstyle.
One of the quietly impressive prospects in the '09 age group that you don't hear a ton about is Nashville SC holding midfielder Andre Krikorian ('09).
— USMNTProspects (@ProspectsUsmnt) June 29, 2025
He's essentially Adri Mehmeti-lite in his game profile. It's funny that the most similar player in recent years to the very… pic.twitter.com/cMsswkRqao
Internationally, Krikorian is undeclared but has recently accepted call-ups to Armenia's U-19s.
He's made all three of his career appearances in Huntsville this season; however he hasn't even made a matchday squad since July 12th. This will be a big offseason for Krikorian, as he is at the fork in the road where a player either needs to find a spot with his club or head to college.
9th: Manny Arias, GK
• Birth year: 2010
• Nationalities: USA 🇺🇸, El Salvador 🇸🇻
• Career Huntsville appearances: 0
Emmanuel Arias has yet to make his Huntsville debut, though he did make 10 matchday squads. Internationally, he has appeared for both the USYNT and El Salvador in 2026, and has been a consistent feature in the USYNT picture among his age group for some time.
The picture ahead of him is a bit cloudy at the moment, with (spoiler alert) two other goalkeepers ahead of him on this list, though the 16-year-old has plenty of time to make up ground.
He's got the talent and size to make it, and he should likely look to make his professional debut in the Rocket City at some point in 2027. Internally, he's incredibly highly rated by Nashville's staff.
