Nashville SC fired Gary Smith on Thursday, the only coach in the organization's five-year Major League Soccer history.
The team announced that assistant coach Steve Guppy will also be retiring.
Former player and current Nashville SC player development coach Lumba Muntari will serve as interim coach as the club continues its search for its next head coach.
Smith leaves after compiling a 49-36-52 record in MLS regular season games since 2020, Nashville's first year in the league. He led the Boys in Gold to four playoff appearances in his first four years, becoming the third franchise in MLS history to do so.
The news comes a day after Nashville scored twice in the final nine minutes to defeat Toronto FC 2-0 at Geodis Park.Boys in Gold (3-4-5) placed 10th.th They entered the 15-team Eastern Conference, one spot away from making the playoffs.
One of Nashville's high points under Smith came last August when he led the team to the League Cup final. The Boys in Gold ended up tied 1-1 in regulation at Geodis Park, losing a close game against Inter Miami CF on penalties.
But things have gone downhill in Nashville since then.
The team won only 5 of 22 regular season games after the League Cup final, and had a record of 5 wins, 7 losses, and 10 losses, excluding 2 losses in the playoffs.
“There's pressure every week,” Smith said earlier this season. “If you're at the professional level and you're working in MLS like you are now, you should be prepared to be under pressure, no matter who you are. We have a very supportive and supportive group of fans, and that comes with the reality of trying to get results.”
Injuries have played a major role in Nashville's struggles this season, with defender Walker Zimmerman, defender Shaq Moore, defender Lucas McNaughton, midfielder Tyler Boyd, midfielder Randall Leal, and forward Hany Mukhtar out for extended periods of time. are forced to do so.
But Nashville's long-standing offensive problems aren't just the fault of sidelined players.
The team scored a total of 16 goals in its first 12 games, outscoring only seven teams in the 29-member league. In 2023, Nashville scored just 36 points in 34 games, the fourth-fewest points total in MLS.
Despite signing draft pick Sam Surridge last year and acquiring Boyd in a trade, the Boys in Gold often looked stagnant and stagnant offensively.
For example, in last weekend's 1-0 loss to Charlotte, Nashville had just three shots on goal and had a meager 0.3 expected goals.
Things looked about the same for most of Wednesday's win, with Nashville unable to gain an edge against a severely depleted Toronto team.
Two goals late in the match redeemed an unsatisfactory performance in front of a small crowd at Geodis, but the goals were not enough to save Smith's job.
Nashville will look to climb the conference ladder with 22 games left in the season.