Nashville SC signs homegrown midfielder Xavier Aguilar through 2030-31 with first-team deal starting 2028-29

By Vancouver Television Sports Desk

Nashville SC announced on Thursday that it has signed homegrown midfielder Xavier Aguilar to a contract that extends through the 2030-31 MLS season, including an option for the 2031-32 season. The club’s release confirms the agreement as a homegrown deal and sets a clear timeline for when Aguilar will move from the development pathway to the first team.

Under the contract structure outlined by Nashville SC, Aguilar will be rostered with the club’s MLS NEXT Pro affiliate, Huntsville City FC, during the 2027 MLS Sprint Season and the 2027-28 season. His first-team contract with Nashville SC is set to begin in 2028-29, meaning the coming seasons are focused on continued progression within the MLS NEXT Pro environment while remaining tied to Nashville’s player development system.

The announcement also provides background on Aguilar’s entry into the club’s academy. The 17-year-old US youth international joined Nashville’s academy in 2025. Nashville SC’s statement says he has recorded one goal in 22 appearances for Huntsville, establishing his recent scoring contribution at the MLS NEXT Pro level.

Nashville SC further noted a specific milestone in Aguilar’s professional timeline, stating that he scored his first professional goal in the club’s 2026 MLS NEXT Pro playoff match. That detail is the only playoff-specific accomplishment described in the announcement, and the club presented it as part of the reasoning for the homegrown contract decision.

In the announcement, Mike Jacobs, Nashville SC’s president of soccer operations and general manager, linked the decision to Aguilar’s demonstrated attacking output at multiple stages of the club’s development pipeline. Jacobs said Aguilar has shown the ability “to create and finish scoring chances” at the academy level and then in MLS NEXT Pro with Huntsville City FC.

Jacobs also said Aguilar’s work with the first team in training “only enhanced” the club’s view of his progression, and he described the signing as an effort to give Aguilar an opportunity for what Nashville SC called his “next chapter” with the club. The statement frames the homegrown agreement as both a reward for development to date and a commitment to continuing that development before Aguilar’s first-team contract begins.

For Nashville SC, the agreement adds another homegrown option to its longer-term roster planning, with the immediate term focused on MLS NEXT Pro minutes and the later term transitioning Aguilar into MLS squad planning starting 2028-29. The contract length and option year also indicate that the club is building continuity around its academy pathway, while setting expectations that his integration into the first team will be staged rather than immediate.