On this week's episode of the Nashville Sports Report, host Russell Ries recaps a busy week across Nashville sports, highlighted by Nashville SC's return from the MLS World Cup break with a hard-fought win over Atlanta United and another major addition to the roster.

This week's topics include:

⚽ Nashville SC
• Nashville SC defeats Atlanta United despite a long injury list
• Shaq Mohammed scores the match-winning goal
• New signing Elias Saad arrives from Germany after representing Tunisia at the World Cup
• Reports link Nashville SC to Senegalese midfielder Famara Camara
• Preview of Wednesday night's match against CF Montréal at GEODIS Park

🏈 Tennessee Titans
• Chris Johnson will be inducted into the Titans Ring of Honor during Week 1 against the New York Jets
• Cam Ward takes center stage in Season 3 of Netflix's Quarterback
• Titans training camp begins this week as rookies and veterans report to Ascension Saint Thomas Sports Park

🏒 Nashville Predators
• The Predators unveil their 2026-27 regular season schedule with a hilarious TV-themed release video
• Nashville's home opener is set for October 1 against the Minnesota Wild
• Locally televised games move to The Spot - Nashville 28
• Assistant GM Jeff Kealty departs for the San Jose Sharks

⚾ Nashville Sounds
• The Sounds continue their pursuit of the Memphis Redbirds in the International League standings as they wrap up their series with Norfolk before heading to Sugar Land.

Featured Interview
This week's guest is Matthew Sullivan, a senior developer at Atiba with nearly 20 years of experience building sports analytics, fantasy sports, and simulation software. Russell and Matt discuss the evolution of sports data, predictive modeling, fantasy sports strategy, and how technology continues to shape the way fans understand the games they love.

Links

• Nashville SC vs Atlanta United full highlights
• Titans' Chris Johnson Ring of Honor Announcement Video
• Elias Saad highlights
• Famara Camara highlights
• Nashville Predators 26/27 Season Schedule Announcement Video
• "How Lucky You Can Be" - Buster Olney book on Don Meyer
• Abstract of "Authorship Versus Influence" about Professor Martin Mueller's work
• Yakety Sax - 1 Hour Version (for when the pain is too great)

Subscribe for weekly coverage of the Tennessee Titans, Nashville SC, Nashville Predators, Vanderbilt athletics, the Nashville Sounds, and the biggest stories in Middle Tennessee sports.

#NashvilleSC #Titans #ChrisJohnson #CamWard #Quarterback #Predators #NashvilleSports #MLS #FantasyFootball #RotoBaseball

Send us your thoughts OR Come be on the show

Twitter - @NSHSportsReport

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Youtube - @NashvilleSportsReport

Music: Games by Pold https://soundcloud.com/pold-music
License: Creative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported — CC BY-SA 3.0
Free Download / Stream: https://audiolibrary.com.co/pold/games
Music promoted by Audio Library: https://youtu.be/SyFPLhALc5w

Nashville SC is back from the World Cup break, and Russell previews Friday night's showdown with Atlanta United, predicts a big win for the Boys in Gold, and discusses Sam Surridge joining Nashville's league-leading four MLS All-Stars.

Also this week: the Nashville Predators lock up Mavrik Bourque with a six-year contract, continue reshaping the front office with the hiring of assistant GM Vukie Mpofu, Titans training camp draws closer as Cam Ward prepares for Netflix's Quarterback, the USMNT's disappointing World Cup exit, and the latest on the Nashville Sounds' push for first place.

Plus, Russell sits down with Nashville entrepreneur and Atiba founder JJ Rosen to talk about growing up in Nashville, his grandfather Ralph Kornman's career as a local sportswriter, founding one of Nashville's leading technology companies, and former Nashville Sounds slugger Steve Balboni.

Links:

• Steve Balboni 1980 profile
• Netflix Quarterback - Season 3 trailer
• USA vs Belgium extended highlights

If you enjoy Nashville sports, Tennessee Titans, Nashville SC, Predators hockey, Sounds baseball, and conversations about Music City sports history, be sure to subscribe to the Nashville Sports Report.

#NashvilleSports #NashvilleSC #TennesseeTitans #Predators #NashvillePredators #NashvilleSounds #MLS #MLSSoccer #USMNT #WorldCup #SamSurridge #HanyMukhtar #CamWard #ChrisMacFarland #MavrikBourque #JJRosen #SteveBalboni #Atiba #Nashville #MusicCity

Send us your thoughts OR Come be on the show

Twitter - @NSHSportsReport

BlueSky - @NSHSportsReport.bsky.social

Youtube - @NashvilleSportsReport

Music: Games by Pold https://soundcloud.com/pold-music
License: Creative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported — CC BY-SA 3.0
Free Download / Stream: https://audiolibrary.com.co/pold/games
Music promoted by Audio Library: https://youtu.be/SyFPLhALc5w

CORRECTION: This episode mistakes the date of the next USMNT game. The game is on Monday, July 6th NOT Tuesday July 7th

On this special Fourth of July edition of the Nashville Sports Report, host Russell Ries is joined by Music City Baseball board member Nancy Schultz for an in-depth conversation about the effort to bring Major League Baseball to Nashville through the Nashville Stars initiative. Nancy discusses the vision behind Music City Baseball, Nashville's growing case for an MLB franchise, and her family's longstanding connection to sports in Middle Tennessee.

Before the interview, we reflect on the heartbreaking news that former Tennessee Titans superstar Chris Johnson has been diagnosed with ALS. We discuss CJ2K's incredible legacy on and off the field, what he meant to Nashville, and why he remains one of the greatest players in Titans history.

Also on this week's show:

• Tennessee Titans announce public training camp dates and details for the 2026 Blue & White Scrimmage
• Nashville Predators GM Chris MacFarland reshapes the roster with trades and free agent signings involving Mavrik Bourque, Nils Höglander, Jack Drury, Adam Edström, and Alexander Kerfoot
• What the Predators' busy offseason says about the future direction of the franchise
• The US Men's National Team advances to the World Cup quarterfinals and prepares for a showdown with Belgium
• The Nashville Sounds continue their chase of the Memphis Redbirds in the International League standings

Featured Interview:
Nancy Schultz, board member of Music City Baseball, joins the Nashville Sports Report to discuss the Nashville Stars project, the effort to bring Major League Baseball to Tennessee, and why she believes Nashville is ready to become a major league city.

If you'd like to support ALS research and patient care, please consider donating to The ALS Association.

Click here to support the Nashville Children's Alliance.

Featured Links:

Chris Johnson on Good Morning America

USMNT vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina

Nashville Stars homepage

Nashville Stars shop

Nashville Stars newsletter

Nashville Stars on Instagram

Nashville Stars on Twitter

Subscribe for weekly coverage of the Tennessee Titans, Nashville Predators, Nashville SC, Vanderbilt athletics, the Nashville Sounds, and the biggest stories in Nashville sports.

#MusicCityBaseball #NashvilleStars #MLBtoNashville #NancySchultz #Titans #ChrisJohnson #Predators #NashvilleSports

Send us your thoughts OR Come be on the show

Twitter - @NSHSportsReport

BlueSky - @NSHSportsReport.bsky.social

Youtube - @NashvilleSportsReport

Music: Games by Pold https://soundcloud.com/pold-music
License: Creative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported — CC BY-SA 3.0
Free Download / Stream: https://audiolibrary.com.co/pold/games
Music promoted by Audio Library: https://youtu.be/SyFPLhALc5w