'Enjoy the moment': The evolution of Nashville SC star Hany Mukhtar

Hany Mukhtar couldn't believe it, nor did he agree at the time.

At the team hotel in Bradenton, Florida, in January 2020, before the team's first preseason training session, Nashville SC first assistant coach Steve Guppy told its best player not only had he misused one of his better qualities, he wasn't using it enough.

Guppy showed Mukhtar video clips from his stint at Brondby IF in Denmark. Mukhtar made a stepover dribble just six times in three years. Four of which were in midfield. That was normal for him – previously at Hertha Berlin, Austria's Red Bull Salzburg and Benfica in Portugal – he was a central midfielder, known for his give-and-go's and link-up passing with teammates in the middle channel.

But Mukhtar's new chapter with Nashville would be different. He'd be molded into an attacking player, starting with upgrading his dribbling tricks under Guppy, known for his wing play in the late 1990s and early 2000s with Leicester City and Celtic, among others.

"'He was like, 'If we can bring you to doing that, you will reach your next level,' " Mukhtar recalled Guppy saying. "As a player you try to – I wouldn't say go against the coach – but you try to explain to them, 'Hey, I've come so far without doing that. Like, why now should I change my game?' "

The past 12 months have provided an undisputable reason. The 26-year-old Mukhtar of today isn't the German designated player Nashville signed in August 2019 for just under $3 million. From a midfield playmaker on an expansion team to one of the league's best 11 players, Mukhtar has evolved – from a connector and creator to a creator and goal-scorer.

"I'm honest with you, I was expecting a lot of things, but to become a second striker, I wasn't seeing that," Mukhtar said. "I practiced my whole life for being a midfield player, and in the peak of my career, there is a change. You have to adapt. You have to take it and do the best with it."

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Mukhtar's MLS genesis

That adjustment was a season-long process in 2020 and Mukhtar wasn't yet convinced Guppy's vision fit his strengths. Mukhtar's first-year impression in Major League Soccer was promising, albeit fragmented.

In his central attacking midfield role, Mukhtar posted five goals and four assists in all competitions – a stat line weighted by the start-stop COVID-19 pandemic season and Nashville's virus outbreak in July 2020, which prevented it from playing in the bubble at the MLS Is Back Tournament.

Mukhtar didn't score his first MLS goal until Sept. 12 against Atlanta United. But days before, a word from coach Gary Smith would become "a game-changer," he said.

"I wasn't really playing good and I wasn't scoring that much," Mukhtar said. "Gary told me, 'We brought you here so that you make something special. We don't want you to play from A to B. We want you to make something out of it."

Mukhtar scored three goals and an assist in the final two matches of 2020. But the turning point came in Round One of the MLS Cup Playoffs against No. 2 seed Toronto FC, in the 108th minute of extra time, convincing Mukhtar that Guppy's vision for him would elevate him to the next level.

Toronto center back Chris Mavinga turned the ball over in Toronto's half. Daniel Rios collected and made a lead pass to Mukhtar. Three Toronto defenders surrounded him as he dribbled toward the penalty box. Two stepovers froze the defense. Mukhtar took the shot. Goalkeeper Quentin Westberg deflected it before Rios scored the game-winner.

"From that moment, he was like a changed man. I've never seen anything quite like it," Guppy said. "And then the next preseason, he was a different animal altogether. In training, his 1v1 work, there was like a spring in his step."

Mukhtar's coming out party

Mukhtar had daily 1v1 sessions with Guppy, cutting inside and breaking wide. Off-the-ball movements and runs behind the opposing back line. Free kicks and wide free kicks. In the film room, Guppy put together game tapes featuring Mukhtar's isolation sequences with defenders.

But it was a July 3 meeting with the Philadelphia Union that unlocked Mukhtar as a goal threat. Smith changed formations from his default 4-2-3-1 to a 3-4-3, which pushed Mukhtar from the midfield trio to a part of a three-man weave with CJ Sapong and Randall Leal.

In the next two months, Mukhtar went on a tear, netting seven goals and seven assists, including the league's fastest hat trick scored from the start of a game (16 minutes) in the second-fastest elapsed time (six minutes) on July 18 against Chicago Fire FC.

Seattle Sounders and U.S. men's national team midfielder Cristian Roldan said Mukhtar's threat comes down to his positioning. One of Mukhtar's most dangerous areas with the ball is in the pocket, the areas just behind the opposing midfield, tucked in from the sidelines.

“In the pocket, he's so comfortable and it's very difficult to get the ball off him," Roldan said. "His first touch is sublime, gets him out of pressure, gets him out of trouble a lot of times and he's so direct. I think that’s what the difference is between him and a lot of players is, yeah, he can play in the pocket, he can turn and play that penetrating pass, but he also dribbles at the backline and that's what makes him really tough to defend.”

Rising above 2021 all-star, MVP snubs

Midway through last season, when it came time for the 2021 MLS All-Star Game, Mukhtar felt his production was overlooked.

Despite totaling seven goals and three assists when voting ended July 21, Mukhtar fell short in the voting.

However, when Los Angeles FC's Carlos Vela and LA Galaxy's Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez were replaced due to injury, MLS added the Galaxy's Sebastian Lletget and Miami's Rodolfo Pizarro who, although U.S. and Mexico internationals, combined for two goals and four assists at the voting cutoff.

Mukhtar would miss out again on accolades in December, finishing second in the league MVP voting (11.8%) to New England Revolution midfielder Carles Gil. With four goals and 18 assists, Gil was the conductor of best team and the best offense.

“I feel like I needed to do more than a lot of other players to be recognized in the All-Star Game or in the MVP talk," Mukhtar said. "… Even though I had a great season the whole year, they started (mentioning me) towards the end of the season. You know what I mean? Then players like, I don't want to say names, but they were in the talks from the beginning. I'm already in a more difficult position because for people, they just saw me in talks later.”

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Mukhtar said he's chalked up 2021 all-star and MVP campaigns to motivation. He's a 2022 all-star and after 21 matches played, he's on pace to surpass his 16-goal tally from last year. He's scored 12 goals in MLS and 15 overall.

After becoming the club's first designated player, Mukhtar doubled down on Nashville in May, signing a contract extension through the 2025 season.

“This year for me personally is to show myself that I can do that again. That it wasn’t luck," Mukhtar said. "I have that quality to do it again. But you have to stay humble because I’ve had bad years and was on the bench – at Benfica and Salzburg, really – I was in and out of the team. Now (in Nashville), I’m starting and that’s what you train for your whole life. Enjoy the moment. That’s what I’m doing right now.”

For stories about Nashville SC or Soccer in Tennessee, contact Drake Hills at DHills@gannett.com. Follow Drake on Twitter at @LiveLifeDrake. Connect with Drake on Instagram at @drakehillssoccer and on Facebook.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: The evolution of Nashville SC star Hany Mukhtar in the MLS