| 2020 season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| | |||
| General manager | Mike Jacobs | ||
| Head coach | Gary Smith | ||
| Stadium | Nissan Stadium | ||
| MLS | Conference: 7th Overall: 14th | ||
| MLS Cup Playoffs | Conference Semifinals | ||
| U.S. Open Cup | Canceled | ||
| MLS is Back Tournament | Withdrew | ||
| Average home league attendance | 12,801 (Overall) 59,069 (Pre-Covid) 3,547 (Post-Covid) | ||
| Biggest win | NSH 3–0 DAL (October 20) NSH 3–0 MIA (November 20) | ||
| Biggest defeat | ATL 2–0 NSH (August 22) ORL 3–1 NSH (August 26) CLB 2–0 NSH (September 19) CLB 2–0 NSH (November 29) | ||
The 2020 Nashville SC season was the club's first season as an organization and its first season as a member of Major League Soccer, after two seasons in the Eastern Conference of the USL Championship by a club of the same name.
Despite a brief stint in the Western Conference, the club moved to the Eastern Conference after the MLS is Back Tournament. [1]
| # | Pos. | Player | Signed from | Details | Date | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | FW | | | Free transfer | November 20, 2018 | [3] |
| 17 | FW | | | Free transfer | December 20, 2018 | [4] |
| 21 | MF | | | Traded for $175,000 in GAM | May 1, 2019 | [5] |
| 11 | FW | | | Traded for $300,000 in TAM, $100,000 in GAM | January 1, 2020 | [6] |
| 20 | MF | | | Traded for $650,000 in GAM | January 1, 2020 | [7] |
| 10 | MF | | | Transfer for $3,000,000, $100,000 in GAM to Seattle Sounders FC | August 27, 2019 | [8] |
| 8 | MF | | | Undisclosed transfer | September 6, 2019 | [9] |
| 6 | MF | | | Traded for 2nd round 2021 MLS SuperDraft pick, $50,000 in GAM, $50,000 in TAM | November 12, 2019 | [10] |
| 4 | DF | | | Traded for $225,000 in GAM, additional $50,000 in GAM conditionally | November 12, 2019 | [11] |
| 1 | GK | | | Traded for Zarek Valentin, $75,000 in TAM | November 19, 2019 | [12] |
| 13 | GK | | | Traded for $50,000 in GAM, $125,000 in TAM, 2020 International roster spot | November 19, 2019 | [13] |
| 2 | DF | | | Traded for $50,000 in GAM, $50,000 in TAM, 2020 International roster spot | November 19, 2019 | [13] |
| 22 | MF | | | Free transfer | November 22, 2019 | [14] |
| 16 | DF | | | Free transfer | November 22, 2019 | [14] |
| 23 | DF | | | Free transfer | November 22, 2019 | [14] |
| 19 | FW | | | Free transfer | November 22, 2019 | [14] |
| 9 | FW | | | Traded for $150,000 in GAM, $175,000 in TAM, additional $75,000 in GAM conditionally | December 2, 2019 | [15] |
| 94 | DF | | | Free transfer | December 4, 2019 | [16] |
| 5 | DF | | | Free transfer | December 16, 2019 | [17] |
| 27 | MF | | | Free transfer | January 15, 2020 | [18] |
| 25 | DF | | | Traded for $950,000 in GAM, 2020 International roster spot, additional $300,000 in GAM conditionally | February 11, 2020 | [19] |
| 29 | MF | | | Traded for 2020 and 2021 International roster spots, additional $50,000 in GAM conditionally | August 13, 2020 | [20] |
| 31 | GK | | | Free transfer | August 17, 2020 | [21] |
| 99 | FW | | | Loan until June 2021 | September 8, 2020 | [22] |
| 28 | GK | | | Loan for the remainder of the 2020 Major League Soccer season | October 12, 2020 | [23] |
| 70 | MF | | | Traded for Jimmy Medranda, $225,000 in GAM, additional $25,000 in GAM conditionally | October 21, 2020 | [24] |
| # | Pos. | Player | Signed by | Details | Date [13] | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | DF | | | Traded for Joe Willis | November 19, 2019 | [12] |
| — | FW | | | Traded for $150,000 in TAM, $50,000 in GAM conditionally | November 19, 2019 | [13] |
| 17 | FW | | | On loan for the 2020 USL Championship season, move made permanent on November 19, 2020 | February 6, 2020 | [25] [26] |
| 26 | MF | | | On loan for the 2020 USL Championship season | March 6, 2020 | [27] |
| 24 | FW | | | On loan for the 2020 USL League One season | August 7, 2020 | [28] |
| 31 | GK | | | On loan for the 2020 USL Championship season | August 24, 2020 | [29] |
| 13 | GK | | | Traded for 4th Round 2021 MLS SuperDraft pick and up to $100,000 GAM conditionally | September 17, 2020 | [30] |
| 94 | DF | | | Traded for Handwalla Bwana | October 21, 2020 | [24] |
Additional source for roster transaction dates: [31]
| Pick | Position | Player | Previous club | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | DF | | New York City FC | [32] |
| Pick | Position | Player | Previous club | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | FW | | Minnesota United FC | [12] |
| 4 | DF | | Portland Timbers | [12] |
| 6 | DF | | New England Revolution | [12] |
| 8 | FW | | Atlanta United FC | [12] |
| 10 | MF/DF | | Sporting Kansas City | [12] |
| Round | Position | Player | College | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (2) | DF | | Indiana | [33] |
| 1 (11) | MF | | Wake Forest | [33] |
| 1 (13) | GK | | Charlotte | [33] |
| 2 (28) | MF | | Clemson | [33] |
| 4 (80) | MF | | Creighton | [33] |
| January 30Preseason 1 | Nashville SC | 0–0 | IF Elfsborg | Bradenton, Florida |
| 2:00PM CST | Report | Stadium: IMG Academy | ||
| Note: Played in three 30-minute periods. | ||||
| February 6Preseason 2 | Nashville SC | 1–3 | Chicago Fire FC | Tampa, Florida |
| 2:00PM CST | Leal | Report Report | Sapong Collier Berić | Stadium: Pepin Stadium |
| February 9Preseason 3 | Nashville SC | 4–1 | Louisville City FC | Bradenton, Florida |
| 3:00PM CST | Leal Ríos Accam Danladi | Report Report | Thiam | Stadium: IMG Academy |
| February 12Preseason 4 | Nashville SC | 1–0 | Montreal Impact | St. Petersburg, Florida |
| 6:00PM CST | Badji | Report | Stadium: Al Lang Stadium |
| February 16Preseason 5 | Nashville SC | 3–1 | FC Cincinnati | Bradenton, Florida |
| 5:00PM CST | Maher Ríos Jones | Report | Amaya | Stadium: IMG Academy |
| February 19Preseason 6 | Nashville SC | 1–1 | D.C. United | Clearwater, Florida |
| 5:00PM CST | Report |
| Stadium: Joe DiMaggio Sports Complex |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts | PPG | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Philadelphia Union | 23 | 14 | 4 | 5 | 44 | 20 | +24 | 47 | 2.04 | Qualification for the playoffs first round and CONCACAF Champions League [a] |
| 2 | Toronto FC [b] | 23 | 13 | 5 | 5 | 33 | 26 | +7 | 44 | 1.91 | Qualification for the playoffs first round and CONCACAF Champions League [c] |
| 3 | Columbus Crew SC (C) | 23 | 12 | 6 | 5 | 36 | 21 | +15 | 41 | 1.78 | Qualification for the playoffs first round and CONCACAF Champions League [d] |
| 4 | Orlando City SC | 23 | 11 | 4 | 8 | 40 | 25 | +15 | 41 | 1.78 | Qualification for the playoffs first round and Leagues Cup |
| 5 | New York City FC | 23 | 12 | 8 | 3 | 37 | 25 | +12 | 39 | 1.70 | |
| 6 | New York Red Bulls | 23 | 9 | 9 | 5 | 29 | 31 | −2 | 32 | 1.39 | Qualification for the playoffs first round |
| 7 | Nashville SC [e] | 23 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 24 | 22 | +2 | 32 | 1.39 | Qualification for the playoffs play-in round |
| 8 | New England Revolution | 23 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 26 | 25 | +1 | 32 | 1.39 | |
| 9 | Montreal Impact [b] | 23 | 8 | 13 | 2 | 33 | 43 | −10 | 26 | 1.13 | |
| 10 | Inter Miami CF | 23 | 7 | 13 | 3 | 25 | 35 | −10 | 24 | 1.04 | |
| 11 | Chicago Fire FC | 23 | 5 | 10 | 8 | 33 | 39 | −6 | 23 | 1.00 | |
| 12 | Atlanta United FC | 23 | 6 | 13 | 4 | 23 | 30 | −7 | 22 | 0.96 | Qualification for the 2021 CONCACAF Champions League [f] |
| 13 | D.C. United | 23 | 5 | 12 | 6 | 25 | 41 | −16 | 21 | 0.91 | |
| 14 | FC Cincinnati | 23 | 4 | 15 | 4 | 12 | 36 | −24 | 16 | 0.70 |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | Los Angeles FC | 22 | 9 | 8 | 5 | 47 | 39 | +8 | 32 | 1.45 |
| 13 | New York Red Bulls | 23 | 9 | 9 | 5 | 29 | 31 | −2 | 32 | 1.39 |
| 14 | Nashville SC | 23 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 24 | 22 | +2 | 32 | 1.39 |
| 15 | New England Revolution | 23 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 26 | 25 | +1 | 32 | 1.39 |
| 16 | San Jose Earthquakes | 23 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 35 | 51 | −16 | 30 | 1.30 |
Win Draw Loss Postponed
| February 291 | Nashville SC | 1–2 | Atlanta United FC | Nashville, Tennessee |
| 8:00 p.m. EST | Zimmerman Willis | Report | Barco Hyndman Remedi | Stadium: Nissan Stadium Attendance: 59,069 Referee: Drew Fischer |
| March 82 | Portland Timbers | 1–0 | Nashville SC | Portland, Oregon |
| 6:00PM CDT | Mabiala Valeri Chará Duvall | Report | Lovitz | Stadium: Providence Park Attendance: 25,218 Referee: Armando Villarreal |
| August 123 | FC Dallas | 0–1 | Nashville SC | Frisco, Texas |
| 7:30 PM CDT | Pomykal | Report | Beckeles Lovitz Romney Leal Accam | Stadium: Toyota Stadium Attendance: 2,912 Referee: Armando Villarreal |
| August 164 | FC Dallas | 0–0 | Nashville SC | Frisco, Texas |
| 7:30 PM CDT | Jara | Report | McCarty | Stadium: Toyota Stadium Attendance: 222 Referee: Rosendo Mendoza |
| August 225 | Atlanta United FC | 2–0 | Nashville SC | Atlanta, Georgia |
| 6:00 PM CDT | Lennon Walkes G. Martínez Bello | Report | Lovitz | Stadium: Mercedes-Benz Stadium Referee: Ted Unkel |
| August 266 | Orlando City SC | 3–1 | Nashville SC | Orlando, Florida |
| 6:30 PM CDT | Mueller Moutinho Dike Michel | Report | Romney Anibaba Johnston | Stadium: Exploria Stadium Referee: Marcos De Oliveira |
| August 307 | Nashville SC | 1–0 | Inter Miami CF | Nashville, Tennessee |
| 7:30 PM CDT | Badji Godoy Lovitz McCarty | Report | Figal Reyes Pirez | Stadium: Nissan Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Rosendo Mendoza |
| September 28 | Nashville SC | 1–1 | Orlando City SC | Nashville, Tennessee |
| 7:30 PM CDT | Leal | Report | Michel | Stadium: Nissan Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Jair Marrufo |
| September 69 | Inter Miami CF | 0–0 | Nashville SC | Fort Lauderdale, Florida |
| 7:00 PM CDT | Reyes | Report | Godoy Danladi | Stadium: Inter Miami CF Stadium Referee: Nima Saghafi |
| September 1210 | Nashville SC | 4–2 | Atlanta United FC | Nashville, Tennessee |
| 7:30 PM CDT | Badji Mukhtar McCarty Danladi | Report | Larentowicz Bello Remedi | Stadium: Nissan Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Armando Villarreal |
| September 1911 | Columbus Crew SC | 2–0 | Nashville SC | Columbus, Ohio |
| 6:30 PM CDT | Alashe Santos Keita Zardes | Report | Lovitz Muyl Godoy | Stadium: Mapfre Stadium Attendance: 1,500 Referee: Silviu Petrescu |
| September 2312 | Nashville SC | 1–0 | DC United | Nashville, Tennessee |
| 7:30 PM CDT | Ríos Washington | Report | Canouse | Stadium: Nissan Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Tori Penso |
| September 2613 | Nashville SC | 1–1 | Houston Dynamo | Nashville, Tennessee |
| 2:30 PM CDT | Ríos | Report | Lundkvist Lemoine Figueroa | Stadium: Nissan Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Rubiel Vazquez |
| October 314 | New England Revolution | 0–0 | Nashville SC | Foxborough, Massachusetts |
| 6:30 PM CDT | Report | Anibaba | Stadium: Gillette Stadium Referee: David Gantar |
| October 615 | Nashville SC | 0–0 | Minnesota United FC | Nashville, Tennessee |
| 7:30 PM CDT | Leal | Report | Stadium: Nissan Stadium Attendance: 3,478 Referee: Joseph Dickerson |
| October 1116 | Sporting Kansas City | 2–1 | Nashville SC | Kansas City, Kansas |
| 6:30 pm CDT | Sánchez Gerso Hurtado | Report | Johnston Zimmerman Lovitz Jones | Stadium: Children's Mercy Park Referee: Fotis Bazakos |
| October 1417 | Houston Dynamo | 1–3 | Nashville SC | Houston, Texas |
| 7:00 PM CDT | Figueroa Quintero Martínez | Report | Mukhtar Danladi Beckeles | Stadium: BBVA Compass Stadium Attendance: 1,328 Referee: Nima Saghafi |
| October 2018 | Nashville SC | 3–0 | FC Dallas | Nashville, Tennessee |
| 7:30 PM CDT | Leal Godoy Cadiz Ríos | Report | Ferreira Bressan | Stadium: Nissan Stadium Attendance: 3,502 Referee: Silviu Petrescu |
| October 2319 | Nashville SC | 1–1 | New England Revolution | Nashville, Tennessee |
| 8:52 PM CDT | McCarty Anunga Zimmerman | Report | Buksa Manneh | Stadium: Nissan Stadium Attendance: 3,727 Referee: Robert Sibiga |
| Note: Kickoff delayed from 7:30 to 8:52 by lightning in area. [37] | ||||
| October 2720 | Montreal Impact | 0–1 | Nashville SC | Harrison, New Jersey |
| 6:00 PM CDT | Corrales Raitala Binks | Report | Leal Zimmerman | Stadium: Red Bull Arena Referee: Ismail Elfath |
| October 3121 | Nashville SC | 1–1 | Chicago Fire FC | Nashville, Tennessee |
| 7:30 PM CDT | Ríos McCarty | Report | Sekulić | Stadium: Nissan Stadium Attendance: 3,987 Referee: Malik Badawi |
| November 422 | Nashville SC | 0–1 | FC Dallas | Nashville, Tennessee |
| 7:30 PM CDT | Report | Hollingshead | Stadium: Nissan Stadium Attendance: 3,789 Referee: Marcos de Oliveira |
| November 823 | Orlando City SC | 2–3 | Nashville SC | Orlando, Florida |
| 2:30 PM CDT | Dike Perea Nani | Report | Lovitz Jones Godoy McCarty Mukhtar Cádiz | Stadium: Exploria Stadium Referee: David Gantar |
| November 20 Play-in round | Nashville SC | 3–0 | Inter Miami CF | Nashville, TN |
| 8:00 PM CST | Leal Mukhtar Johnston McCarty | Report | Nealis Trapp | Stadium: Nissan Stadium Attendance: 3,240 Referee: Ismail Elfath |
| November 24 First round | Toronto FC | 0–1 (a.e.t.) | Nashville SC | East Hartford, CT |
| 5:00 PM CST | Report | Ríos | Stadium: Pratt & Whitney Stadium [ citation needed ] Attendance: 0 Referee: Robert Sibiga |
| November 29 Conf. Semifinals | Columbus Crew SC | 2–0 (a.e.t.) | Nashville SC | Columbus, OH |
| 7:00 PM CST | Pedro Santos Zardes | Report | Johnston Washington | Stadium: MAPFRE Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Armando Villarreal |
| July 8, 20201 | Nashville SC | Cancelled | Chicago Fire FC | Orlando, Florida |
| 9:30 PM CDT | Stadium: ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex |
| July 14, 20202 | Philadelphia Union | Cancelled | Nashville SC | Orlando, Florida |
| 7:00PM CDT (UTC-05) | Stadium: ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex |
| July 20, 20203 | Orlando City SC | Cancelled | Nashville SC | Orlando, Florida |
| 8:00AM CDT (UTC-05) | Stadium: ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex |
As a new MLS club, Nashville was scheduled to enter the competition in the Third Round, to be played April 21–23. [38] The ongoing coronavirus pandemic, however, forced the U.S. Soccer Federation to cancel the tournament on August 17, 2020. [39]