MLS commissioner, in town for Nashville SC opener, says soccer is sport for a new South

MLS commissioner Don Garber didn't waste any time getting his hands dirty Saturday at the MLS Works' Road to the Opener service project.

After Garber finished helping plant one of 250 trees along the Cumberland River's east bank in Nashville, he predicted soccer as being at the forefront of the South's sports future.

Garber was in town before Nashville SC's MLS debut against Atlanta United on Saturday night at Nissan Stadium.

Garber partnered with Nashville SC majority owner John Ingram, CEO Ian Ayre and Atlanta United president Darren Eales to plant the first tree along Davidson Street, under Interstate 24. The group was a part of some 100 Nashville and Atlanta supporters working with the Cumberland River Compact. After planting the tree, Garber dusted his hands off and said that soccer in Nashville has a new role.

"MLS, at one point, did not have a team south of Washington, D.C.," Garber said. "Then, we expanded to Orlando as our first team in Florida and then Atlanta came in and took the world by storm as one of the great sports team launches in history. It showed us that this is the new South."

'A sport for a new America'

Garber said that being such a young league — as MLS celebrates its 25th season in 2020 — requires its clubs, players and fans to not solely rely on the wins and losses earned on the field.

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Garber instead suggested MLS — particularly in the South — must take advantage of the increased participation of youth soccer in the region for fan growth. He also referenced the NHL's Nashville Predators as proof for creating new ideas and producing a unique professional sports product for future generations.

Atlanta United included music artists Big Boi and Ludacris as club ambassadors while also hosting frequent pick-up soccer events in the community. Nashville has completed similar objectives by hosting bands like Judah and The Lion and artists like Lzzy Hale and welcoming athletes like Titans running back Derrick Henry and Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts, a Nashville native, to events.

What Garber believes will ensure MLS' success in the South is Nashville, Atlanta and soon-to-be Charlotte becoming "hard-core competitors on the field and partners off the field."

Ayre agreed.

"The landscape is changing, just look at the cranes in this city," Ayre said. "But the communities are changing as well, in the sense that — we still have to be respectful to the original Nashville. At the same time, you have people like myself who are moving from other countries into Nashville.

"In most cases in other countries around the world, soccer's the No. 1 sport — it's more diverse and more inclusive by its nature. The MLS commissioner used this: 'a sport for a new America,' and I think the South is changing daily, it feels. To bring a sport that is for a new America, a new Nashville, or a new South fits. It's the right time."

Irony of planting trees

Ayre's mantra leading up to Nashville's Opening Day was building a soccer club that is "uniquely Nashville." He wanted the club to be customized to an evolving South and a growing Nashville. Now, Ayre said he's ready for that team to grow into a competitor in MLS.

"It's ironic that we're planting trees. (Saturday) is the first day of our MLS existence as a team with our first game and we're trying to grow this thing," Ayre said. "We're trying to grow our supporters' base, our fan base, our place in MLS soccer and world soccer. We're trying to grow, just like these trees."

Bringing Nashville together

All 26 MLS clubs have their own rituals, a necessary factor for each club to grow the MLS brand, Garber said. The Portland Timbers have Timber Joey, who cuts a log of wood for every Timbers goal. Minnesota United fans sing Oasis' "Wonderwall" after a win.

Nashville will have three rituals to create what the club calls a down-home feeling.

Nashville will host a musician to perform a guitar riff in the supporters' section prior to each home match. The second will be a Music City-rooted singer performing the national anthem.

Lastly, Judah and The Lion recorded Nashville SC's inaugural club anthem and was scheduled for a 20-minute performance shortly before kickoff Saturday. The club anthem is what Nashville SC majority owner John Ingram believes will unite Nashville.

"I think (the anthem) is something Nashville can really gravitate towards," Ingram said. "We have so much divisiveness in this world. Isn't it nice where you can go arm-in-arm with somebody next to you and rock a little bit, singing something that you both can agree on?

"I think between that, the guitar riff and hopefully a good team on the field, even people that don't have a lot of exposure to soccer will say, 'You know what? We love it. We like all of it — the engagement on the field, and the other pieces that feel like Nashville, is something that I really care about.'"

For stories about Nashville SC or Soccer in Tennessee, contact Drake Hills at DHills@gannett.com. Follow Drake on Twitter at @LiveLifeDrake.