The four best candidates for Nashville SC’s first captain
Less than five weeks separate the Nashville SC faithful from their debut match against Atlanta United and the USL team is beginning to take form.
On Thursday the club added four more players, bringing their roster total to 17 — just a few bodies short of a full roster, but more than enough to field a healthy team.
To date, Nashville appears to have done a good job of creating a balance between MLS-experienced players and young players with MLS potential. However, for the team to grow both in the USL and inevitably in MLS, the team needs to identify its on-field leaders.
Naturally, that means it’s time to take a look at who the leaders on Nashville SC might be and whether they’ll make good captain material.
Here are four players who could very well take that role when the first-ever starting XI is unveiled:
Matt Pickens
One of two players on the roster from head coach Gary Smith’s MLS Cup Championship starting XI, Pickens has continued to play well since leaving MLS for the Tampa Bay Rowdies in 2014.
Pickens ended up making over 100 appearances in goal for Tampa Bay from 2014 to 2017, so there seems to be plenty of tread left on his tires.
And with the possibility that Pickens will be a part of Nashville’s MLS team when they enter the league, his guidance and veteran savvy will make him an invaluable leader on the team.
The only thing that might ultimately work against Pickens is that he plays GK. Many teams prefer to have their captain in the front ten so as they have better access to the officials in the event of a call that needs appealing.
Kosuke Kimura
Kimura is the only player on the roster who played for Gary Smith at both Colorado and the Atlanta Silverbacks — so it’s clear that Smith has a fondness for the 33-year-old defender.
His stints with Colorado and the Red Bulls have already put Kimura among the more well-known players on the roster — and someone the younger players know to respect and look up to.
Like Pickens, Kimura’s experience in both MLS and USL could result in him being a part of the team’s MLS debut down the road.
Robin Shroot
Nashville SC will serve as the 12th team Shroot has played for since his pro debut in 2005. During that time, he has played around the world — including for Gary Smith at Stevenage — honing his craft and improving his finishing during his recent stints in Norway.
Though it’s not too common for a forward to wear the captain’s armband, Shroot’s finishing ability — should it translate to USL play — could make him a leader-by-example early.
Justin Davis
The newest member of the Blue & Gold also happens to be one of the only members with experience transitioning from the lower division to MLS.
Davis played his last seven seasons with Minnesota United, six seasons in the NASL plus last year as the MLS expansion side. Though Davis’s MLS time was short — less than 500 minutes played — his history of strong play and durability at the fullback position makes him an ideal person to take the reins on the field.
It certainly helps Davis’s case that he’ll still be only 29 when the team kicks off in March.
Naturally, this list is incomplete until the final roster for the 2018 season is submitted. But from the looks of things, Nashville already has several players who can help lead the team to early success in USL and perhaps more importantly — to early success in Major League Soccer.
What do you think?
