Founded in 1989, the Nashville Metros is the longest continuously owned and operated franchise in the USL. The fifteen-year history of the Metros, which began as an indoor team in the Sunbelt Independent Soccer League, is a microcosm of soccer's development in the United States. Started by owners who had little more than a passion for the sport, the Metros have grown and developed as the sport has grown in popularity over the years.

THE EARLY YEARS

In 1989, co-founders Lynn Agee and Devinder Sandhu concluded one year of negotiations and discussions with Commissioner Francisco Marcos and took the bold step of joining the Sunbelt Independent Soccer League. The SISL was just primarily an indoor league consisting of clubs in the Southwest when the Metros played its first season in 1990. They played their first season entirely on the road because of a lack of an indoor facility in Middle Tennessee. The team finally found an indoor home in Smyrna and continued to compete in the indoor league until 1996 with inauspicious results, winning only six matches in their six seasons. But while the Metros floundered badly indoors, the outdoor team was competitive from the start. Playing in the USL's amateur Premier League from 1991 through 1996, the team went 7-9 in its first outdoor season. It broke through with its first winning season in 1995, posting a 12-6 mark and making the playoffs. The following season, the Metros achieved its first postseason successes by defeating the Roanoke Riverdawgs and Florida Strikers and reaching the Northern Division final.

There were noteworthy individual performances by Metros players during this period. Cory Kirkspell led the league in assists in 1992. Pasi Kinturi took several USISL honors in 1996. His league-leading 19 goals and 46 points led to Kinturi being named Premier League MVP. Pasi and fellow Finn Tony Siikala provided the punch for two of the highest scoring squads in club history in 1995 and 1996.

MAKING THE JUMP TO THE A-LEAGUE

The club moved up two divisions in 1997, jumping over the semi-professional D3 Pro League directly to the second division A-League, the top league in the USL structure. They also moved into Ezell Park as the new home of the Nashville Metros after several years of playing at various high school and municipal stadiums in Nashville and Franklin. The team posted a 17-11 record and made the playoffs in its first season in the league, losing to the eventual A-League champion Milwaukee Rampage in the division semifinal. The following season proved to be even more successful, as the Metros went 20-8 to win the always tough Central Division by a full game over perennial championship contender Minnesota Thunder.

Nashville also saw success in 1998 in its first appearance in the U.S. Open Cup tournament, the oldest cup tournament in United States soccer. After easily routing the D3 Pro League entry Delaware Wizards 7-1 in the second round, the Metros advanced to the third round and a date with MLS side Kansas City Wizards. A heavy underdog, the Metros pulled off the upset of the tournament with a shocking 3-1 victory over the first division club in front of an ecstatic home crowd at Ezell Park.

TENNESSEE FINDS THE RHYTHM

Perhaps the most difficult period for the franchise came just weeks prior to the start of the 1999 season, when the Metros announced they would cease operations due to financial difficulties brought on by withdrawal of a major sponsor. But former Vanderbilt soccer standout Devinder Sandhu and longtime player and soccer facility developer Lynn Agee, both minority owners of the Metros, refused to let the franchise die. They persuaded the league to let them take over the franchise just three weeks before its 1999 opening game. They brought in new partners, reorganized as the Tennessee Rhythm Futbol Club and, due to legal issues clouding Ezell Park, moved the team to Franklin.

It was a bold and risky move. They had no major sponsorships. They quickly brought in new partners, hired a new coach, contacted former Metros players about playing for the reorganized team and pressed ahead. With an overachieving side composed of former Metros players, area college players and new pros seeking to make their mark, the amazing Rhythm challenged for the A-League playoffs until the final week of the season. Along the way, they knocked off established franchises like the playoff-bound Seattle Sounders and Vancouver 86ers. The team's performance slid in 2000 due to injuries and other on-field problems. While first-year coach Brett Mosen's team struggled through the season, including a record-setting 17-game losing streak to end the campaign, fans told the team they wanted a move back to Nashville.

RETURN TO MUSIC CITY

A survey of supporters ranked moving to Nashville as one of the top issues facing fans of the team. The ownership agreed with the fans and returned to Ezell Park in 2001. The move was accompanied by the restoration of the club's original Nashville Metros name. Returning to Nashville also provided success on the pitch. The Metros battled though the season and was rewarded by earning a playoff berth for the first time since 1998. A hard-fought playoff series with the Milwaukee Rampage followed. Nashville answered a 3-2 loss at Ezell Park with a 1-0 victory in Milwaukee, thus tying the series on aggregate goals. The season came to a heartbreaking end as Metros lost the ensuing series-deciding penalty kick shootout to the Rampage.

The 2001 Metros qualified for the U.S. Open Cup for the third time in four years. The tournament also provided a historic first for the club, as the Metros appeared in a nationally televised second-round match on Fox Sports World versus the eventual Cup champion Los Angeles Galaxy of MLS.

BACK TO THE PDL

For the 2002 season, the Metros moved from the A-League to PDL within the large USL soccer family. The PDL is dedicated to the development of players for the professional level. This decision to return to the PDL was made primarily because of an inability to meet the minimum A-League standards such as a fenced stadium with at least 5000 capacity, related amenities such as a press box, showers and referee facilities. With rosters composed of mostly collegiate players, the competitiveness of the team did not wane as the Metros competed for playoff spots until the final week of both the 2002 and 2003 seasons. Nashville also contested an exciting Tennessee derby with instate rival Memphis Express from 2002 to 2005.

BEYOND THE NASHVILLE METROS

While the club has changed direction and focus over the past fifteen years, those associated with the team continue to move up the soccer ladder. Memphis native Richard Mulrooney, who played with the Metros in 1995, was the first Tennessee player to ever be named to the USA 2002 World Cup Squad. Mulrooney was also part of the San Jose Earthquakes team that won the MLS Cup in 2001 and 2003. Others who have moved up from a Metros uniform to a spot on a Major League Soccer roster are Jay Ayres, Kalin Bankov, Jon Busch, Danny Devall, Gabe Eastman, John Jones, Steve Klein, Tony Kuhn and Jamel Mitchell. Former Metros also continue to make an impact on the game after their playing careers are over. Prior to the 2005 season, former Nashville goalkeeper Eduardo "Eddie" Carvacho was tapped by the Columbus Crew to become their goalkeeper coach.

Year By Year Records 1991-2008