Mycampusplug
News: Nashville SC Plunged into Uncertainty After Gary Smith’s Abrupt Departure
The Nashville SC’s decision to fire longtime coach Gary Smith last week was less unexpected and more justified. Since losing in a shootout against Inter Miami and Lionel Messi in the Leagues Cup final at GEODIS Park in August, the club hasn’t been very good.
Nashville SC recorded just one victory in ten games this season, from late February to early May. What was functional was no longer so. Such subpar performance fell short of the standards Smith set for himself during his more than four years as expansion Nashville’s Major League Soccer coach, a run that had been largely successful.
This could have spoiled things for a growing number of fans who, if social media is a reliable indicator of public opinion, had made Smith the scapegoat and labeled him the problem.
Whether that was the case, I’m unconvinced. We’ll find out soon enough.
Nevertheless, I didn’t find Smith’s termination shocking. The players in Nashville weren’t either, and I guess Smith wasn’t either. It is the result of a pro sports club, particularly a soccer team, going through an extended slump in the middle of the season.
Players get stale, and firing them is not an option. It is simpler to get rid of the coach in order to get things going. That’s a major factor in our decision to make the change now, when there is still a lot of season left, general manager Mike Jacobs said reporters. Nashville, South Carolina: 15 possible coaches to take Gary Smith’s place.
Although interim coach Rumba Munthali is in charge for the time being, Jacobs’ hunt for Smith’s replacement is still ongoing and is expected to proceed swiftly. In the short term, Nashville SC may very easily return to the postseason this year with the hiring of a new coach.
Long-term, though, it goes deeper than that. Nashville, South Carolina, finds itself at a turning point. It must make a decision about its future as a young adult after reaching the end of its infancy as an MLS team.
This team seems more likely to be in the window of contention closing than staying open, with one of the oldest teams in the league stumbling through an already disappointing season.
As 2024 approaches, Jacobs and club CEO Ian Ayre will need to assess what is still feasible, but they must do so while keeping an eye on the future and the running clock. Is it possible for a new coach to win a title with the current team, or is it necessary to completely dismantle this one and start over?
There will inevitably be further change. For a while, any new hire can get along, but in the end, he’ll favor a particular style and player type. He’ll probably want a different identity from the one that the defensive, hard-nosed Smith created.
We’ve done a fantastic job of solidifying that as our brand: Nashville is a difficult team to beat. “It’s difficult to score goals against them,” defender Walker Zimmerman remarked. We now need to consider what will enable us to advance. I believe that’s where the next coach should be evaluated to see if they can introduce concepts that are perhaps more attack-minded and advanced.
Funny how Nashville SC has resembled its peers more and more as it has developed as a part of this city’s sports scene: Always excellent, but never outstanding. If it sounds familiar, the Tennessee Titans and Nashville Predators have both fired defensive coordinators in favor of offensive ones in the last 12 months. In a similar vein, former Predators and Titans coaches had some success going it alone. Only insufficient.
Anibal Godoy (34), Daniel Lovitz (32) and goalie Joe Willis (35) are three more mainstays under Smith who are becoming older. Sam Surridge, 25, and Jacob Shaffelburg, 24, two attacking players, offer hope for the future, but Nashville SC’s next generation hasn’t consistently shown up yet.
Though it’s not quite old enough for its patrons to be yearning for the good old days, Nashville SC is moving in that direction as a club. Need to take action. Had to get going right away. The essential change for Nashville, South Carolina, did not end with Smith’s firing. That was the start of it.
