Nashville SC have reportedly landed one of the biggest names on the MLS free-agent market, reaching an agreement with longtime San Jose Earthquakes winger Cristian Espinoza on a Designated Player deal, according to reporting from The Athletic’s Tom Bogert and Reuters.
For Nashville, it’s a statement move — turning an open DP slot into immediate attacking firepower. Reuters noted that Nashville’s DP opening followed Walker Zimmerman’s free-agent move to Toronto FC, creating the roster space for a high-profile addition like Espinoza.
Espinoza, 30, departs San Jose after seven seasons as the heartbeat of the Quakes’ attack: a relentless right-sided creator whose delivery and work rate made him one of the most consistent wide threats in MLS. MLSsoccer reported this winter that Espinoza was out of contract and eligible for free agency, putting him near the top of the market as soon as the offseason began.
His impact in San Jose is hard to overstate. MLSsoccer credits Espinoza with 36 goals and 70 assists in 218 regular-season matches for the Quakes, while Reuters adds he produced a franchise-record 83 assists across all competitions — the clearest indicator of just how central he was to everything San Jose created in the final third.
On the field, the fit in Tennessee makes plenty of sense. Nashville already have a star hub in Hany Mukhtar and a true finisher in Sam Surridge, and adding Espinoza gives them another proven creator who can stretch teams on the right, deliver service into the box, and take pressure off Mukhtar in the middle. Reuters described the move as a DP signing, reinforcing that Nashville see Espinoza as a plug-and-play, top-of-the-lineup piece.
For the Earthquakes, it’s a massive shift. Espinoza wasn’t just another winger — he was the club’s most reliable source of chance creation for years, and replacing both the production and the consistency won’t be simple. If this deal is finalized as reported, San Jose’s next steps will likely define their entire offseason: do they replace him with a like-for-like DP winger, re-balance the roster with multiple additions, or pivot the attack around a new centerpiece?
As of now, Nashville have not publicly announced full contract terms, but multiple reports align that an agreement is in place.
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