It's official. Professional soccer is headed to Nashville.
The United Soccer League (USL) announced Thursday that it's awarded the Nashville group a franchise. Both the USL and the North American Soccer League (NASL) had expressed interest in bringing a team to Music City.
Soccer comes to @visitmusiccity! Welcome to the league, @uslnashville18! #USL2MusicCity https://t.co/AQhVIglK7Thttps://t.co/XJxKTlQCSn
— USL (@USL) May 19, 2016
They will begin play in 2018.
Nashville FC has been part of the National Premier Soccer League, and while the team has been filled with amateur players, the organization is run as a professional team.
The team has only been around for three years, but in that time, they've made a splash, exhibiting high-level soccer with some of the country's top talents through the summer at Vanderbilt Stadium.
In response, Nashville FC said in a statement that the team “is discussing an agreement with DMD Soccer that would outline the relationship between the two organizations in response to the United Soccer League (USL) franchise announcement in Music City.”
