2021 Nashville SC season
# 2021 Nashville SC season

The 2021 Nashville SC season was the club's second season as a member of Major League Soccer. This was the club's last season in the Eastern Conference after being added to the Conference in 2020 after the MLS is Back Tournament as the club returns to the Western Conference the following season in 2022 due to the addition of Charlotte FC.

## Club

### Current roster

    As of September 23, 2021

| Squad no. | Name | Position(s) | Date of birth (age) | Previous club | Apps | Goals |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Goalkeepers ||||||||
| 1 | Joe Willis | GK | (1988-08-10) August 10, 1988 (age 34) | Houston Dynamo FC | 51 | 0 |
| 35 | Bryan Meredith | GK | (1989-08-02) August 2, 1989 (age 33) | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 0 | 0 |
| — | Tor Saunders | GK | (1998-04-30) April 30, 1998 (age 25) | Coastal Carolina | 0 | 0 |
| Defenders ||||||||
| 2 | Daniel Lovitz | DF | (1991-08-27) August 27, 1991 (age 31) | CF Montréal | 46 | 1 |
| 3 | Jalil Anibaba | DF | (1988-10-19) October 19, 1988 (age 34) | New England Revolution | 22 | 1 |
| 4 | Dave Romney | DF | (1993-06-12) June 12, 1993 (age 30) | LA Galaxy | 51 | 1 |
| 5 | Jack Maher (GA) | DF | (1999-10-28) October 28, 1999 (age 23) | Indiana University | 15 | 1 |
| 12 | Alistair Johnston | DF | (1998-10-08) October 8, 1998 (age 24) | Wake Forest University | 39 | 1 |
| 15 | Eric Miller | DF | (1993-01-15) January 15, 1993 (age 30) | New York City FC | 14 | 0 |
| 18 | Dylan Nealis | DF | (1998-07-30) July 30, 1998 (age 24) | Inter Miami CF | 3 | 0 |
| 23 | Taylor Washington | DF | (1993-08-16) August 16, 1993 (age 29) | Nashville SC (USL) | 29 | 0 |
| 24 | Robert Castellanos | DF | (1998-05-11) May 11, 1998 (age 25) | Rio Grande Valley FC | 1 | 1 |
| 25 | Walker Zimmerman | DF | (1993-05-19) May 19, 1993 (age 30) | Los Angeles FC | 41 | 5 |
| Midfielders ||||||||
| 6 | Dax McCarty (C) | MF | (1987-04-30) April 30, 1987 (age 36) | Chicago Fire FC | 46 | 2 |
| 8 | Randall Leal (INTL) | MF | (1997-01-14) January 14, 1997 (age 26) | Deportivo Saprissa | 47 | 9 |
| 10 | Hany Mukhtar (DP) | MF | (1995-03-21) March 21, 1995 (age 28) | Brøndby IF | 42 | 17 |
| 19 | Alex Muyl (HG) | MF | (1995-09-30) September 30, 1995 (age 27) | New York Red Bulls | 46 | 3 |
| 20 | Aníbal Godoy | MF | (1990-02-10) February 10, 1990 (age 33) | San Jose Earthquakes | 39 | 1 |
| 22 | Matt LaGrassa | MF | (1993-01-27) January 27, 1993 (age 30) | Nashville SC (USL) | 20 | 0 |
| 26 | Luke Haakenson | MF | (1997-09-10) September 10, 1997 (age 25) | Creighton University | 13 | 2 |
| 27 | Tah Brian Anunga | MF | (1996-08-10) August 10, 1996 (age 26) | Charleston Battery | 34 | 1 |
| Forwards ||||||||
| 7 | Abu Danladi | FW | (1995-10-18) October 18, 1995 (age 27) | Minnesota United FC | 24 | 3 |
| 11 | Rodrigo Piñeiro (INTL) | FW | (1999-05-05) May 5, 1999 (age 24) | Danubio F.C. | 2 | 0 |
| 14 | Daniel Rios | FW | (1995-02-22) February 22, 1995 (age 28) | Nashville SC (USL) | 28 | 6 |
| 17 | C. J. Sapong | FW | (1988-12-27) December 27, 1988 (age 34) | Chicago Fire FC | 25 | 10 |
| 70 | Handwalla Bwana (HG) | FW | (1999-06-25) June 25, 1999 (age 24) | Seattle Sounders FC | 8 | 0 |
| 72 | Aké Loba (DP, INTL) | FW | (1998-04-01) April 1, 1998 (age 25) | C.F. Monterrey | 12 | 0 |
| 99 | Jhonder Cádiz (DP, INTL) | FW | (1995-07-25) July 25, 1995 (age 28) | Dijon FCO | 27 | 4 |

## Roster transactions

### In

| # | Pos. | Player | Signed from | Details | Date |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 26 | MF | Luke Haakenson | Charlotte Independence | Loan period ended, option exercised | December 2, 2020 |
| 11 | MF | Rodrigo Piñeiro | Danubio F.C. | Guaranteed contract through 2023 | February 3, 2021 |
| 17 | FW | C. J. Sapong | Free Agent | Two year contract with a third year option | February 10, 2021 |
| 24 | DF | Robert Castellanos | Free Agent | Free transfer | February 17, 2021 |
| 31 | DF | Nick Hinds | Seattle Sounders FC | Traded for $50,000 in GAM | February 22, 2021 |
| 35 | GK | Bryan Meredith | Free Agent | Free transfer | February 24, 2021 |
| 15 | DF | Eric Miller | Nashville SC | Contract extension through the 2021 MLS season, with an option for 2022 | March 8, 2021 |
| 14 | FW | Daniel Ríos | Nashville SC | Contract extension through the 2022 MLS season, with an option for 2023 | March 15, 2021 |
| 18 | DF | Dylan Nealis | Inter Miami CF | Traded for $175,000 in GAM and an additional $50,000 in GAM conditionally | April 10, 2021 |
| 5 | DF | Jack Maher | San Diego Loyal SC | Loan agreement terminated | June 23, 2021 |
| 99 | FW | Jhonder Cádiz | S.L. Benfica | Loan extended through the end of the 2021 MLS season | June 28, 2021 |
| 72 | FW | Aké Loba | C.F. Monterrey | Signed through 2023, with option for 2024 | July 7, 2021 |

### Out

| # | Pos. | Player | Signed by | Details | Date |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 55 | DF | Brayan Beckeles | Free Agent | Option declined | December 2, 2020 |
| 24 | DF | Tanner Dieterich | Free Agent | Option declined | December 2, 2020 |
| 16 | DF | Ken Tribbett | Free Agent | Option declined | December 2, 2020 |
| 19 | FW | Alan Winn | Free Agent | Option declined | December 2, 2020 |
| 31 | GK | Brady Scott | Austin FC | Selected in the 2020 MLS Expansion Draft | December 15, 2020 |
| 21 | DF | Derrick Jones | Houston Dynamo FC | Traded for $250,000 in GAM | January 21, 2021 |
| 5 | DF | Miguel Nazarit | Independiente Santa Fe | Loan for the 2021 Categoría Primera A season | January 22, 2021 |
| 11 | FW | David Accam | Hammarby | Loan for 12 months with the option to transfer | January 27, 2021 |
| 31 | DF | Nick Hinds | Austin Bold FC | Loan for the 2021 USL Championship season | May 6, 2021 |
| 35 | GK | Elliot Panicco | Austin Bold FC | Loan for the 2021 USL Championship season | May 6, 2021 |
| 5 | DF | Jack Maher | San Diego Loyal SC | Loan for the 2021 USL Championship season | May 28, 2021 |
| — | DF | Tom Judge | Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC | Loan for the 2021 USL Championship season | July 6, 2021 |
| 9 | FW | Dominique Badji | Colorado Rapids | Traded for up to $100,000 in GAM | July 29, 2021 |
| 13 | MW | Irakoze Donasiyano | OKC Energy FC | Loan for the 2021 USL Championship season | August 14, 2021 |

### SuperDraft picks

| Round | Position | Player | College |
| - | - | - | - |
| 1 (20) | MF | Irakoze Donasiyano | Virginia |
| 2 (36) | DF | Tom Judge | James Madison |
| 3 (73) | DF | Sondre Norheim | Syracuse |
| 3 (74) | GK | Tor Saunders | Coastal Carolina |
| 4 (86) | FW | Leroy Enzugusi | Drake |

* Signed to 2021 season roster

## Major League Soccer season

### Eastern Conference

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | New England Revolution | 34 | 22 | 5 | 7 | 65 | 41 | +24 | 73 | Qualification for the Playoffs Conference semifinals and CONCACAF Champions League |
| 2 | Philadelphia Union | 34 | 14 | 8 | 12 | 48 | 35 | +13 | 54 | Qualification for the Playoffs first round |
| 3 | Nashville SC | 34 | 12 | 4 | 18 | 55 | 33 | +22 | 54 | Qualification for the Playoffs first round |
| 4 | New York City FC (C) | 34 | 14 | 11 | 9 | 56 | 36 | +20 | 51 | Qualification for the Playoffs first round and CONCACAF Champions League |
| 5 | Atlanta United FC | 34 | 13 | 9 | 12 | 45 | 37 | +8 | 51 | Qualification for the Playoffs first round |
| 6 | Orlando City SC | 34 | 13 | 9 | 12 | 50 | 48 | +2 | 51 | Qualification for the Playoffs first round |
| 7 | New York Red Bulls | 34 | 13 | 12 | 9 | 39 | 33 | +6 | 48 | Qualification for the Playoffs first round |
| 8 | D.C. United | 34 | 14 | 15 | 5 | 56 | 54 | +2 | 47 | |
| 9 | Columbus Crew | 34 | 13 | 13 | 8 | 46 | 45 | +1 | 47 | |
| 10 | CF Montréal | 34 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 46 | 44 | +2 | 46 | Qualification for the CONCACAF Champions League |
| 11 | Inter Miami CF | 34 | 12 | 17 | 5 | 36 | 53 | −17 | 41 | |
| 12 | Chicago Fire FC | 34 | 9 | 18 | 7 | 36 | 54 | −18 | 34 | |
| 13 | Toronto FC | 34 | 6 | 18 | 10 | 39 | 66 | −27 | 28 | |
| 14 | FC Cincinnati | 34 | 4 | 22 | 8 | 37 | 74 | −37 | 20 | |

* ↑ As MLS Cup 2021 champions
* 1 2 Canadian clubs cannot qualify for the 2022 CONCACAF Champions League through the MLS regular season or playoffs.
* ↑ As 2021 Canadian Championship winners

### Overall

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 5 | Portland Timbers | 34 | 17 | 13 | 4 | 56 | 52 | +4 | 55 | |
| 6 | Philadelphia Union | 34 | 14 | 8 | 12 | 48 | 35 | +13 | 54 | |
| 7 | Nashville SC | 34 | 12 | 4 | 18 | 55 | 33 | +22 | 54 | |
| 8 | New York City FC (C) | 34 | 14 | 11 | 9 | 56 | 36 | +20 | 51 | Qualification for the 2022 CONCACAF Champions League |
| 9 | Atlanta United FC | 34 | 13 | 9 | 12 | 45 | 37 | +8 | 51 | |

* ↑ As MLS Cup 2021 champions (USA1)

### Results summary

| Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
