'We're not supposed to be here': How Nashville SC spent less to win more after joining MLS

Inside its midsized stone cottage facility on the campus of Currey Ingram Academy in Brentwood, one philosophy reigns true for everyone at Nashville SC: under-promise and overdeliver.

If it sounds simple, it's not. But it tells the story of Nashville's budding Major League Soccer franchise. Especially the latter part. Because in two seasons, this club with a middle-of-the-pack salary and a superstar executive has punched so much above its weight that it just might deliver the city's first major league professional championship.

Nashville SC is only the fifth franchise to reach the MLS Cup Playoffs in its first two seasons, and it begins its playoff push Tuesday when it faces Orlando City FC at Nissan Stadium (7 p.m., FS1). Nashville earned the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference after finishing with the fewest losses in the league (four) and a record-tying number of draws (18).

“Everybody continues to be really surprised that we're in the playoffs or (that) we're winning games, or whatever it is,” Nashville SC chief executive Ian Ayre recently told The Tennessean. “We're probably the least surprised because we really felt that we wanted to be intentional about how we approach this whole thing."

The Chicago Fire (1997-98), Seattle Sounders (2008-09), Atlanta United (2016-17) and Los Angeles FC (2017-18) are the only clubs to match Nashville SC's early playoff success. And they fielded some of the highest-paid stars to get there.

LAFC and Atlanta ranked fifth and eighth in roster spending, respectively, during their first seasons. LAFC even set a salary record for an expansion team ($13.4 million). Nashville took a different approach under general manager Mike Jacobs and, of course, Ayre — the former Liverpool F.C. top executive who was named CEO of the year in the English Premier League in 2016.

Ayre and Jacobs simply wanted Nashville to be competitive. So they invested in league veterans to enforce the resilient, “tough to beat” mantra for the club. Nashville spent just under $10 million in 2020 and reached the conference semifinals. This season, it ranked 12th in salary at $12.8 million and has been even better — all without a player making top-30 money in MLS.

“It was always, 'Let's be the best we can be, but let's be steady and let’s evolve,'” Ayre said. “We never expected or happened to come out of the gate with all guns blazing. That's not who we are or what we want to be.”

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Efficient and sufficient

There isn't just one office that holds the key to Nashville's roster. There's six.

The heart of Nashville’s success begins with its front office structure – a committee rather than a designated shot-caller.

Ayre, coach Gary Smith, chief scout Chance Myers, strategy and analytics director Oliver Miller-Farrell and assistant general manager Ally Mackay join Jacobs in making roster moves. At the core of this task force, Jacobs said, is the marriage of ego and humility.

“Everyone in our group that is involved in making roster decisions," he said, "believes that we belong, believes that we fit."

Fit is important in player selection, too, rather than just talent or production. Nashville starting center back Dave Romney played in just 12 of 34 matches with the LA Galaxy in 2019 and had been assigned to its second-tier club for two games.

The defender cost Nashville up to $275,000 in general allocation money in November 2019, a move criticized by many in league circles due to Romney’s inconsistency as a starter.

Yet since joining Nashville in 2020, Romney started in 59 consecutive matches until an Achilles issue kept him out Nov. 7 against the New York Red Bulls..

“It wasn't about what the LA Galaxy were doing or not doing,” Jacobs said. “To me, it was out of appreciation of what Dave represented, the things he did, and we felt if we put him in our system, that with the right combination of players, he’d flourish.”

The act of acquiring the undervalued, in Jacobs' terms, is less of a gamble. Nashville’s highest paid player Hany Mukhtar will earn $1.5 million this season, just 37th in the league, yet the German midfielder is a top-3 MVP candidate with 16 goals and 10 assists.

The return on investment is high.

“My advice for anyone would be to build your own team your own way with what you have, what the deck of cards you have,” Ayre said. “… I do think that the system and the process that we've gone through is the more sustainable one. I think if you throw lots and lots of money at things very early, it's great.

“And you can bring in so-called big stars and light the place up,” Ayre added. “But ultimately, you have to ask yourself, what sort of culture does that create if you've got players so far away from each other financially? Does that work? I don't know that it does. Personally, it's not for me.”

'Maybe we're not supposed to be here'

Nashville and Orlando tied in each of their three meetings this year. The Lions field stars such as former Manchester United attacking midfielder Nani and center forward Daryl Dike — a promising talent for the U.S. Men's National Team.

A matchup with the Philadelphia Union would await Nashville SC in the conference semifinals, then a likely showdown against the New England Revolution — the top team in MLS this season.

But if one thing’s for certain, given its veteran makeup, Nashville isn’t scared of the moment. After all, several experts didn’t expect Nashville to become this successful so quickly. Jacobs wears such slights like a "badge of honor," he said.

“On paper, New England's way better than us,” Jacobs said of the MLS Cup favorite. “Look at the amazing year they’ve had this year, but we’re also the only team that hasn’t lost to them this year. We can beat any team in the league on the day, but we're also very humble and honest with the fact that, maybe we're not supposed to be here.”

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: How Nashville SC spent less to win more after joining MLS