NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Dec. 2, 2020) – Nashville Soccer Club announced today the following roster moves ahead of the 2020 Major League Soccer offseason.
Nashville has exercised the contract options on goalkeeper Elliot Panicco, defenders Jalil Anibaba and Alistair Johnston, midfielders Brian Anunga, Handwalla Bwana, Matt LaGrassa, Luke Haakenson and Taylor Washington, and forwards Dominique Badji, Abu Danladi and Daniel Ríos.
Defenders Brayan Beckeles, Tanner Dieterich and Ken Tribbett, midfielder Alan Winn and already announced forward Cameron Lancaster will all be out of contract at the end of the year. Eric Miller is currently out of contract, however Nashville SC is currently in negotiations with the defender on a new contract.
Nashville SC has 15 players contractually guaranteed for the 2021 season: goalkeeper Brady Scott, defenders Dan Lovitz, Miguel Nazarit, Walker Zimmerman and Jack Maher, midfielders Aníbal Godoy, Randall Leal, Dax McCarty, Hany Mukhtar, Alex Muyl and Derrick Jones, and forwards David Accam and Jhonder Cádiz.
Additionally, Nashville SC has extended the contracts of goalkeeper Joe Willis and defender Dave Romney. Willis and Romney join Walker Zimmerman with contract extensions, as Nashville SC locks in the best expansion defense in MLS history.
Willis, Romney and Zimmerman posted a goal-against average of 0.96 goals per game, the best of any expansion club in league history. They came second in the league with nine clean sheets in 2020, and third in fewest goals allowed with 22.
The Trio helped guide Nashville to a historic inaugural year as they became the second ever expansion club in MLS history to reach the Conference Semifinals in the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs and the first expansion team since the 1998 Chicago Fire to win a playoff match.
The Nashville backline also secured a 309-minute playoff shutout streak, which set a new MLS record for most minutes played without allowing a goal in the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs. In accomplishing that, Willis became the only goalkeeper in MLS to have recorded two shutouts in the MLS postseason as of Dec. 1.
Nashville SC’s next roster move in 2020 could come immediately after MLS Cup, when the league opens a half-day trade window from 8 a.m. CT to noon on Dec. 13. Following that window, Nashville will not be able to sign and trade any players until after the 2020 Expansion Draft, in which Austin FC will be able to select up to five players from across the league on Dec. 15.
Nashville SC’s 2021 roster as it currently stands:
Goalkeepers (3): Joe Willis, Elliot Panicco, Brady Scott
Defenders (7): Jalil Anibaba, Alistair Johnston, Dan Lovitz, Jack Maher, Miguel Nazarit, Dave Romney, and Walker Zimmerman
Midfielders (11): Brian Anunga, Handwalla Bwana, Aníbal Godoy, Luke Haakenson, Derrick Jones, Matt LaGrassa, Randall Leal, Dax McCarty, Hany Mukhtar, Alex Muyl, and Taylor Washington
Forwards (5): David Accam, Dominique Badji, Abu Danladi, Jhonder Cádiz and Daniel Ríos.
Be sure to follow Nashville SC and its roster moves during the offseason by visiting www.NashvilleSC.com and the club’s social channels on Instagram,Facebook, and Twitter.
