NASHVILLE, TN – On Saturday, Nashville SC midfielder Patrick Yazbek returned to the pitch at Geodis Park for the first time in 116 days.
The 24-year-old midfielder had been a fixture in Nashville's starting lineup for the first three months of the season, spurring them to a first-place position in the Eastern Conference table and a magical run to the Concacaf Champions Cup semifinals. Then, 15 minutes before a pivotal semifinal matchup against Mexican giants Tigres, Yazbek tore the quad muscles in his left leg.
The injury kept him out of action for nearly four months, longer than initially expected, and cost him a spot in Australia's squad for the 2026 World Cup.
"If you look at the context of the injury, and you separate the idea of going to the World Cup to start with, I did miss out on probably the biggest game in the club's history," Yazbek said. "To not be involved and to not contribute in that Concacaf game against Tigres away, I felt like I let the team down, and I kind of let myself down a little bit.
And then to go home and get the scans and to digest the news that you'd be out for three to four months, that was really tough. I felt like I'd been in really good form and my chances for the World Cup were, were never guaranteed, but were quite good... I had to process the idea that I'm not going at all, which was very difficult."
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A long recovery process
For a professional athlete, recovering from a long-term injury can be an isolating experience. They're taken out of their typical in-season routine, and instead of the daily regimen of training with the team, they spend weeks and months doing rehab exercises in a gym.
The World Cup break made this even more difficult. Players received several weeks off, leaving on vacation or visiting their homes before the season resumed 54 days later. Yazbek stayed in Nashville.
"I stayed in Nashville alone and tried to do my rehab and focus on that. All the boys left, so that was a pretty lonely period," he said. "Coming back in the preseason and the time that I was more so off the field was pretty tough, but it's all lessons learned and all experiences that you can kinda gather and take forward with you as you get older. I'm just glad it's all over. I'm just doing my best to stay on the field and stay healthy now."
Despite Yazbek's absence, as well as injuries to other key players like Sam Surridge, Cristian Espinoza, Eddi Tagseth, Andy Nájar, Reed Baker-Whiting, and Warren Madrigal, Nashville have managed to maintain their elite form. Through 21 matches, no team in MLS history has earned as many as their 49 points.
Nashville were good when Yazbek got hurt. They're elite now that he's coming back. He's watched them set a historic pace from the sidelines, and has seen opposing teams begin to approach games against Nashville differently.
"We've had to overcome different challenges, and I think as we've progressed, teams around the league respect us more," he said. "... In terms of what the opposition are presenting us, it's gonna be a bit different as the season goes on. But how I felt out there doesn't feel any different for me. They're all the same boys that I played with before I got injured. Great relationships with them off the field. They've all been very supportive, and I've been able to integrate very well."
Nashville's championship mentality
It took Yazbek nearly four months to get through what he called a "difficult rehab", dealing with a significant spell on the sidelines for the first time in his career. Nashville head coach BJ Callaghan
"I had quite an honest conversation with BJ, and I told him, 'When I'm ready to compete for this team, I'll let you know,'" he said. "That was kind of the discussion we had last week. I told him that I'm ready to play and fight for this team and give everything I have."
Right now, the team is fighting for history. The Coyotes are currently on pace for 79 points, which would shatter the MLS single-season record and win the Supporters' Shield, their first MLS trophy as a club. Yazbek is excited for the stretch run of the season, but isn't at all surprised by Nashville's success.
"We knew we have a championship team in round one. These games just solidify the message to the rest of the league," he said after their dramatic win over the Columbus Crew. "There's nothing to celebrate in a bigger sense. These wins are great, but they make us more hungry. They make us more hungry to see games out, see games out earlier. They make us more hungry to not concede goals, and they make us more hungry to really put a foothold on the opponent.
"It's all about hunger and how much we want it. That's our week-to-week thing, not something that's too far in the future. The next objective is Cincinnati."
