January 14, 2022 – Major League Soccer (MLS) – Nashville SC News Release
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Nashville Soccer Club announced today that it will kick off the 2022 Preseason on Monday, Jan. 17 at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. Nashville SC’s 2022 Preseason will consist of three phases and five preseason matches.
At the conclusion of the first phase of preseason in Bradenton, the Boys in Gold will return to Music City through Feb. 5. They will then travel to Tampa, Fla. for the final leg of its preseason.
The Boys in Gold will participate in a total of five preseason matches, including a match against, 2022 expansion side Charlotte FC on Feb. 8 at IMG Academy.
Nashville SC will wrap up its preseason competition against Philadelphia Union on Feb. 18, a side that the Boys in Gold met in the 2021 Audi MLS Cup Playoffs in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Nashville SC will see Philadelphia again on May 1 in the most anticipated moment of Nashville’s 2022 calendar: the opening of the largest soccer specific stadium in the United States and Canada.
Nashville SC Preseason Calendar
Date
Opponent
Time
Location
Jan. 28, 2022
TBD
TBD
TBD
Feb. 8, 2022
Charlotte FC
3 p.m. ET
IMG Academy
Feb. 12, 2022
TBD
TBD
TBD
Feb. 15, 2022
FC Cincinnati
12 p.m. ET
Clearwater, Fla.
Feb. 18, 2022
Philadelphia Union
12 p.m. ET
Clearwater, Fla.
NASHVILLE SC STORYLINES:
– Nashville SC owns an overall MLS preseason record of 5W-1L-2D in two seasons, a goal record of 15-6 and four clean sheets
– Nashville SC will meet four of its five opponents in this preseason for the first time in preseason competition
– A full breakdown of the 2021 and 2020 Nashville SC preseason can be found below:
2021 Preseason
Date
Opponent
Result
March 20, 2021
Louisville City FC
4-0 W
March 31, 2021
Tampa Bay Rowdies
1-0 W
2020 Preseason
Date
Opponent
Result
Jan. 30, 2020
IF Elfsborg
0-0 D
Feb. 6, 2020
Chicago Fire FC
1-3 L
Feb. 9, 2020
Louisville City FC
4-1 W
Feb. 12, 2020
Montreal Impact
1-0 W
Feb. 16, 2020
FC Cincinnati
3-1 W
Feb. 19, 2020
D.C. United
1-1 D
– During the offseason, Nashville SC strengthened its roster with three acquisitions who will meet the team for the first time on Jan. 17 – Teal Bunbury, Sean Davis and Ethan Zubak. The club added two players in the 2022 MLS SuperDraft presented by adidas after selecting UCLA standout defender Ahmed Longmire with the 10th overall pick and goalkeeper Will Meyer from the University of Akron with the 10th pick in the second round.
– Nashville SC will be looking to keep the club’s momentum in 2022 with several key players who are returning to Music City:
o MLS Best XI midfielder and 2021 MVP runner-up Hany Mukhtar will aim to set new records following the 28 combined goals and assists registered last season, the most of any MLS players in 2021. Mukhtar was also named The Tennessean Sportsperson of the Year in 2021
o Back-to-back MLS Defender of the Year, the first MLS player in over a decade to do so, and MLS Best XI center back Walker Zimmerman will anchor a Nashville SC backline that when led by him in 2021 owned a 0.96 goals-against average
o Captain Dax McCarty enters his 17th MLS season. The veteran ranks fourth all-time among outfield players in games played (410) and games played (374)
o Returning in net is Joe Willis, who is coming off a career year where he set a personal best with 13 shutouts, 100 saves, 34 games started and 12 wins. For the second consecutive season, Willis finished at the top of MLS’ clean sheet leaderboard
o Panamanian international Aníbal Godoy joins McCarty following a career-year in distribution with five assists
o In the attack, league veteran CJ Sapong, who after being acquired in the 2021 offseason, registered 12 goals, joins Costa Rican international Randall Leal and Designated Player Aké Loba
Nashville SC will kick off the 2022 Major League Soccer season with eight road matches starting on Feb. 27 at Seattle Sounders FC. The Boys in Gold will return to Music City on May 1 to open the largest soccer specific stadium in the United States and Canada against Philadelphia Union on ESPN and ESPN Deportes. Come on “N” and be a part of history by visiting NashvilleSC.com/Tickets or calling 615-750-8800 to secure your seats.
Visit www.NashvilleSC.com and follow the club’s social channels on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter to keep up with the latest updates around the team’s preseason activities, including live tweeting, reporting and recaps of all preseason matches.
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