NASHVILLE, TN - On Saturday night, Tyler Boyd returned to the field for Nashville SC.
409 days after suffering a devastating ACL tear, the 30-year-old attacker stepped on the same pitch on which his knee buckled back on July 17, 2024, giving Nashville a welcome boost in attack and reflecting over a year of perseverance and hard work from Boyd.
Ben Wright
"I think the feeling is gratitude just to be at such an amazing club where I had so much love around me," Boyd reflected after his return, a 1-0 loss to Atlanta United. "The staff have been amazing, the medical staff, the coaching staff, my brothers in the locker room... I just felt very grateful throughout the whole process of being surrounded by so many positive people."
A long journey back
One minute, Boyd was a high-performing athlete, one of the few bright spots in a dour 2024 season for Nashville. The next, a freak non-contact injury had him re-learning how to walk after a major reconstructive surgery. The recovery process was long and arduous, but Boyd says it gave him a new outlook.
"I think perspective's everything," he said. "There are people in the world that are suffering much more than that. Obviously it is disappointing and it does get a bit disheartening sometimes. But I feel blessed every day that I wake up and I look at my family, my daughter, my wife. There's a lot of positives to take from this life."
"I think my faith keeps me grounded. I know God has a plan for my life," he added. "This is a job that I get to do. Even being able to warm up with the boys was one of the steps. I'm not taking that for granted ever again."
Tyler Boyd is back!
— SixOneFive Soccer (@615Soccer) August 31, 2025
📸 @_mikemeredith pic.twitter.com/cTyDhRbzaV
Boyd credits the medical staff at Nashville SC for keeping him going, as well as Maximus Ekk, who tore his own ACL last season with Huntsville City FC and worked through his recovery process on a similar timeline alongside Boyd.
A crucial part of the recovery process was also learning to accept the things he couldn't control.
"I wanted to play as soon as I could, and I think you just have to be patient," he shrugged. "Everyone's rehab is different. That was difficult for me. If they said you can put in five hours a day and you'll get back in three months, I would have put six hours a day. It just doesn't work like that. That was probably the most frustrating, knowing like sometimes it doesn't depend on how hard you work. Every person's recovery is different."
"When you have somebody who suffers a long term injury, there's a lot of phases in those 400 days that you go through," added head coach BJ Callaghan. "What you saw was a was a player that was committed to working and impacting the group in any capacity that he could minus being able to play. Whether it was being a supportive teammate, whether it was sitting in film sessions, asking questions, contributing, pushing guys."
Has Boyd lost a step?
So Boyd is back on the field. But will he ever get back to his prior level? After all, 30 years old and coming off of a catastrophic knee injury is a tough ask for a player who built so much of his game around pace, acceleration and agility.
Boyd shot down those concerns immediately.
"I said I wanted to come back fast, I wanted to come back even faster than I was before," he smiled. "I'm hitting those numbers. I'm actually recording numbers that I didn't hit last year. I actually came back and hit 101% of my speed, I'm improving that every week."
"So yeah, that was one of my goals, and I actually am more explosive. I'm going to come back even better."
Two weeks after being cleared to return to the pitch, Boyd isn't worried about how he's feeling or getting into form. He says he's feeling great and like he can contribute already. When will he be back to his best?
"Who knows? Next week. I don't know," he laughed. "I just focus on what I can control and work as hard as I can work. Tonight was a great step forward. It's great for my confidence. Great to be back on the pitch with my brothers."
"I feel ready now, so there's not a question mark in my mind whether I feel ready or at my best," he added with a smile. "I'm comfortable out there. I'm confident."
Where will Boyd fit?
With just five games left in the MLS season, Boyd comes into a fairly established squad. Four other players are fighting for starting minutes in two spots, and they've had the benefit of a full season in BJ Callaghan's system to learn their roles, build chemistry and get valuable minutes on the pitch.
Boyd hasn't had any of that. What he has had, though, is incredible amounts of time to learn exactly what Callaghan demands from every position.
"I'm trying to focus on learning every position, to be honest. It gives me more opportunities to get minutes and be used wherever the coach wants me to play," he said. "I'm trying to be versatile, study, do my homework and be adaptable... The more players you have playing well is great for the club, great for the squad. But you have to fight for your position, and that's exactly what we want as a club."
While the road has been long and hard, costing Boyd a full year of a fleeting career as a professional athlete, he stayed resolute, clinging to his faith and the idea that somehow this setback is ultimately part of the plan, part of what is best for him.
"I think gold is refined through fire. You get out all the imperfections through that process."
