Mukhtar and Zimmerman Earn Best XI Honors Together for Third-Straight Season 

Mukhtar Earns Third Consecutive Honor; Is Sixth Player in MLS History with Three Seasons of 10+ Goals and 10+ Assists

Zimmerman Becomes Sixth Player in MLS History to Earn Best XI Honors Five or More Times; Leads All Active Players in Selections

Nashville Soccer Club, in conjunction with Major League Soccer, announced today that for the third-straight season Midfielder Hany Mukhtar and Defender Walker Zimmerman have been named to the MLS Best XI presented by Continental Tire, which recognizes the league’s top players at each position as determined by media, MLS players, and MLS club technical staff.

Mukhtar earned his third consecutive MLS Best XI honor after becoming just the sixth player in MLS history to notch three seasons of double-digit goals and assists. The 2022 Landon Donovan MLS MVP and Golden Boot Award winner also became just the eighth player in league history to record at least 15 goals in three consecutive seasons. Since the start of the 2021 season (Mukhtar’s first Best XI selection), the Nashville SC midfielder has accounted for 88 goal contributions (54 goals, 34 assists), which is 11 more than the next closest player during this span.

By being named to the 2023 MLS Best XI, Zimmerman becomes just the sixth player in league history to earn the prestigious honor five or more times (Landon Donovan (7); Dwayne De Rosario (6); Chris Armas, Robin Fraser, Jaime Moreno (5)). Zimmerman, who anchored Nashville SC’s league-leading defensive corps (just 32 goals conceded in MLS play) leads all active players in Best XI selections and is tied for third all time (Armas, Fraser, Moreno).

Both Mukhtar and Zimmerman were named MLS All Stars in 2023 (Mukhtar’s second selection, Zimmerman’s fourth), representing the Boys in Gold together during the league’s annual summer showcase for the second-straight season.

For the full 2023 MLS Best XI presented by Continental Tire, please see below.

Goalkeeper: Roman Burki, St. Louis CITY SC

Defender: Matt Miazga, FC Cincinnati

Defender: Tim Parker, St. Louis CITY SC

Defender: Walker Zimmerman, Nashville SC

Midfielder: Luciano Acosta, FC Cincinnati

Midfielder: Thiago Almada, Atlanta United

Midfielder: Hector Herrera, Houston Dynamo FC

Midfielder: Hany Mukhtar, Nashville SC

Forward: Denis Bouanga, Los Angeles Football Club

Forward: Giorgos Giakoumakis, Atlanta United

Forward: Juan Hernandez, Columbus Crew

Nashville SC joined Major League Soccer on Feb. 29, 2020 in front of the largest attendance ever recorded for a soccer match in the State of Tennessee. In its inaugural MLS season, Nashville SC defied expectations by becoming the second MLS expansion side to win and advance to the Conference Semifinals in the 2020 Audi MLS Cup Playoffs. Nashville SC returned to the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs in its sophomore season after becoming just the seventh team in MLS history to go unbeaten at home in a season. The Boys in Gold again qualified for the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs in both 2022 and 2023, becoming just the third team in league history to reach the postseason during the team’s first four years in existence. Nashville SC inaugurated GEODIS Park, the largest soccer-specific stadium in the United States and Canada, in front of a sellout crowd of 30,109 on May 1, 2022. For more information, visit NashvilleSC.com and follow the club at @NashvilleSC on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Twitter and Spotify.