5 Best Nashville SC MLS Players, Ranked

Nashville SC began play in Major League Soccer in 2020, making the move to North America’s top league after featuring in the USL Championship the previous two years.

The club has yet to overcome its soccer odds and lift a trophy in any competition, coming closest in a memorable 2023 Leagues Cup Final penalty shootout defeat to Inter Miami, which went 11 rounds. 

Nashville has shown plenty of promise across its first half-decade, thanks in large part to a strong core of players that have helped ease the transition.

5 Best Nashville SC MLS Players, Ranked

Nashville SC All-Time Greatest Players

1. Hany Mukhtar

Mukhtar is Nashville’s all-time leader in goals and assists, making him a constant option in MLS player prop parlays.

The German attacking midfielder joined the club as its first designated player ahead of its inaugural MLS season and has recorded more than 75 goals and 50 assists in five-plus seasons.

Mukhtar’s best campaign came in 2022, when he led the league with 22 goals and added 11 assists en route to winning MLS MVP honours.

2. Walker Zimmerman

The USMNT centre back has been a stalwart in defence for Nashville since 2020, making over 130 appearances in league play.

Zimmerman was named the MLS Defender of the Year in his first two seasons with the club, becoming just the third player in league history to win the award in back-to-back seasons, following Carlos Bocanegra and Chad Marshall.

3. Joe Willis

Willis has been Nashville’s No. 1 goalkeeper throughout its MLS existence, making 175 league appearances and counting for the club — the most of any player.

The 36-year-old, who was traded from the Houston Dynamo to Nashville ahead of the 2020 season, led MLS with nine clean sheets in his debut campaign and has racked up more than 50 shutouts in his time with the club.

4. Sam Surridge

My MLS betting cards have featured plenty of Sam Surridge goal props over the last two seasons. 

The 26-year-old English forward joined Nashville from Premier League side Nottingham Forest in July 2023 and instantly made an impact up front.

Surridge scored a team-high 12 goals in 28 appearances last season and has already eclipsed that total in fewer games in 2025. 

Given his age and ability in front of goal, Surridge should continue to climb this list in the years to come.

5. Dax McCarty

McCarty joined Nashville at the age of 32, but the veteran midfielder still made his presence felt in four seasons at the club.

The MLS legend, who made 523 career appearances in the league across the regular season and playoffs, played more than 100 times for Nashville and marked his 400th career MLS regular-season appearance in August 2021.