Nashville SC & Hany Mukhtar reach another level in 2026 | OneFootball

By Ben Wright

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – When Nashville SC host LAFC for Sunday Night Soccer presented by Continental Tire this weekend, it’s not just two of the best teams in MLS going head-to-head. It’s also two drastically different models of sustained success pitting themselves against each other (8 pm ET | Apple TV).

“They're one of the standard bearers of our league when you see the success they've had,” Mike Jacobs, Nashville's president of soccer operations and general manager, told MLSsoccer.com on Thursday.

“When we entered as an expansion team, we had aspirations of trying to do the things that they've done with their club."

Nashville entered MLS in 2020, two years after LAFC, and while they haven’t necessarily been as glamorous or flashy, they’ve qualified for the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs in all but one of their first six seasons, won the 2025 US Open Cup, and earned their 100th win across all competitions earlier this week.

With both sides advancing to the 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup semifinals this spring, Nashville maintain they’re every bit as ambitious as LAFC, albeit in their own way.

“I think ambition comes in many shapes and forms, and I think what we're doing here in Nashville suits us with our vision,” said head coach B.J. Callaghan.

"That's the beauty of the MLS, is that each club can pick how they define ambition, how they define their strategic goals. We have, as a club, lofty goals.”

Music City superstar

For Nashville, Hany Mukhtar has been the constant through it all.

The German attacker signed for the club in 2019 as their first Designated Player, an under-the-radar transfer from Brøndby IF in Denmark.

When he joined, few people expected Mukhtar to become such a pivotal player for Nashville. Six years later, he’s making a case for one of MLS’s all-time greats.

This season, Mukhtar became the third-fastest player behind Landon Donovan and Preki to reach 150 regular-season goal contributions. He’s two goals away from his 100th with Nashville in all competitions.

And now, as Nashville’s full-time captain, the 2022 Landon Donovan MLS MVP has evolved to be more of a facilitator and vocal leader.

“Through the history of his time here in Nashville, he's been obviously a massive piece to the success of the club,” Callaghan said of Mukhtar.

“Maybe the casual observer just doesn't see the amount of off-ball work and unselfish work that he is doing, with runs and positioning and moving and creating space for his teammates. A lot of that maybe doesn't show up on the stat sheet, but he's just been so selfless in doing a lot of that work to open up the opportunities for other guys.”

Title contender

That approach is paying off.

Through 12 regular-season matches, Nashville lead the Eastern Conference with 27 points, their +18 goal differential is second-best in MLS, and they've cemented themselves as a Supporters’ Shield contender. 

Signing free-agent winger Cristian Espinoza, formerly of the San Jose Earthquakes, has taken their attack to a new level. He's formed a Designated Player trio with Mukhtar and Sam Surridge, which has combined for 15g/12a and taken their attack from pretty good to elite.

With just two matches before the MLS regular season pauses until mid-July for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Nashville are looking to build more momentum.

“I can't imagine there’s a team in our league that will benefit more from the break than we will,” Jacobs laughed, noting injuries to key players like Surridge, Patrick Yazbek and Eddi Tagseth.

“... We're also very mindful of the fact that we're only around 35% of the way into the season. So we're not looking at, in this stage of the year, starting to order rings and banners and stuff like that. It's way too early to be looking at the table.”

Massive opportunity

Nashville have already taken down their fair share of elite teams this season.

They eliminated Inter Miami CF from the Concacaf Champions Cup, and then became the first-ever MLS club to win at the historic Estadio Azteca when they ousted LIGA MX powerhouse Club América from the same continental tournament.

Nashville aren’t looking at this test against one of MLS's most high-profile clubs, which features superstars like Son Heung-Min and Denis Bouanga, as an obstacle. Rather, it's an opportunity.

“We talk a lot about trying to sustain success, being ambitious to be competing with teams of the likes of LAFC,” said Jacobs. “And I think for us, the next step is, can we consistently defeat teams like that? It's a great opportunity for fans to see two of the elite clubs in MLS play together.”

Jacobs maintains that he wants Nashville to stay under the radar. It’s an increasingly difficult proposition given what they've accomplished with one of the league’s most dynamic attacks and stout defenses. 

“I believe that we can compete with them and anybody else in our league. I think we're as ambitious as any other club in the league,” Jacobs smiled.

“I just think maybe we're more understated about how we go about our business. I am so comfortable hiding in the blind spots and kind of being in the shadows, sneaking up on people and having them wondering, ‘How did they do that?’”

Match Trailer | Messi, Son highlight Sunday Night Soccer