Official: Nashville SC trade Alistair Johnston to CF Montréal

Nashville SC officially announced the trade of defender Alistair Johnston to CF Montréal on Monday. Reported last Thursday, the deal sees a fan favorite depart the Music City in return for $1 million in General Allocation Money plus an additional sell-on fee from a potential future transfer, with sources confirming Nashville would net up to 10% of the transfer fee. From the press release:

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Dec. 27, 2021) – Nashville Soccer Club announced today it has received $1,000,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM) from CF Montréal in exchange for outside right back Alistair Johnston. Nashville SC is set to receive an additional 10% of any future transfer fee for the Canadian international.

“We would like to thank Alistair for his contributions to our organization, and we wish him success in the next step of his journey with Montréal.” – Nashville SC General Manager Mike Jacobs.

Johnston joined Nashville SC after being selected with the 11^th overall pick in the 2020 MLS SuperDraft, presented by adidas. With 44 regular-season appearances, a goal and two assists in two seasons, Johnston was part of a defensive unit that conceded just 33 goals in 2021, tied for the fewest in MLS. 

Johnston and the Nashville SC defense were tied for the league lead in shutouts in back-to-back seasons earning 13 in 2021 and nine in 2020. Nashville’s goals against average of 0.956 goals per game in 2020 was the best of any expansion club in league history.

At the international level, Johnston has received 18 caps since making his senior team debut with Canada Soccer on March 26, 2021.

Losing Johnston is a blow for Nashville from an on- and off-field perspective. The 23-year-old became a fan favorite in his two seasons, and his core role for the Canadian National Team earned him attention on the international stage. On the field, he was a reliable and consistent producer for Nashville in multiple roles and warranted his place in the team every week.

For $1 million in GAM, though, Nashville should be able to not only replace Johnston’s production, but improve other areas of the squad for their 2022 campaign and beyond.

Author: Ben Wrightis the Director of Soccer Content and a Senior MLS Contributor for Broadway Sports covering Nashville SC and the US National Team. Previously Ben was the editor and a founder of Speedway Soccer, where he has covered Nashville SC and their time in USL before journeying to Major League Soccer since 2018. Raised in Louisville, KY Ben grew up playing before a knee injury ended his competitive career. When he is not talking soccer he is probably producing music, drinking coffee or hanging out with his wife and kids. Mastodon

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