MIKE JACOBS IS FIRST HIRE FOR CEO IAN AYRE ON MLS TECHNICAL STAFF

NASHVILLE – Every team needs an architect, and Nashville’s Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise will have a familiar one. Mike Jacobs, the current Vice President of Soccer Operations and Technical Director for Nashville SC, was named the General Manager of Nashville MLS, a role where he will be in charge of roster construction for Music City’s MLS club. Jacobs will maintain his current role with Nashville SC and transition into his new MLS role in 2019.

“I am excited to announce Mike’s appointment as General Manager in the early stages of our club’s development,” said Nashville MLS CEO Ian Ayre. “Mike has significant experience in the U.S. Soccer industry both at the collegiate and professional level, and his varied expertise across the game is a key skill set as we embark on our Major League Soccer journey. In my experience, building successful teams is all about matching the best talent to the right opportunity. Mike’s knowledge of the U.S. soccer landscape and his creative approach to building a roster are crucial factors as we begin assembling a team and the associated infrastructure needed to create a successful soccer club.”

After arriving at Nashville SC in the fall of 2017, Jacobs constructed the club into a playoff team in its expansion season in the USL. He employed transfers, trades, loans and short-term and season-long free agent signings to create an immediately competitive roster. With the second-best defense in the league, Nashville SC was the only USL expansion team to make the 2018 USL Cup Playoffs.

Prior to his hire in Nashville, Jacobs was the Assistant Technical Director for Sporting Kansas City of MLS from 2015-17. He helped oversee the club’s U.S. Open Cup Championships in 2015 and 2017, in addition to Sporting KC’s CONCACAF Champions League appearance in 2016. While at Sporting KC, Jacobs served as the President of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA), the world’s largest soccer coaches organization, in 2016

"It's been a lifelong ambition, the opportunity to serve in this capacity with the club," Jacobs said. "I think my experiences along the way have helped me prepare for what I'm doing now. Thinking about doing that now here in Nashville is a dream come true."

Jacobs, 47, spent over a decade in the college ranks as the Head Coach for the University of Evansville Men’s team for nine seasons and as an Assistant Coach for Duke University.