MLS Bid Leader Buys Nashville SC To Boost Expansion Chances

NASHVILLE, TN — John Ingram, scion of one of Nashville's most prominent business fortunes and leader of the effort to snag a Major League Soccer expansion franchise for the Music City, is the new majority owner of lower-tier club Nashville SC. The move uniting Nashville's professional soccer efforts is designed to boost the chances of securing one of the four MLS expansion spots up for grabs.

Nashville SC is set to begin play in the United Soccer League — on the second level of the American soccer pyramid, below MLS — next year. The team was founded by DMD Soccer, an effort of David Dill, Chris Redhage and Marcus Whitney.

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“Our effort to bring Major League Soccer to Nashville and the mission of DMD Soccer are now jointly committed to elevate and expand professional soccer in Music City,” Ingram said in a statement. “We plan to give Nashville SC fans an exceptional soccer experience, starting with this season’s debut of the organization’s PDL (Player Development League) team, which will lead to a successful debut in the USL as we continue to grow the game in Nashville at every level.”

Ingram, the leader of the MLS Steering Committee, recently visited the MLS offices in New York as part of the city's expansion candidacy.