How Maxwell Woledzi, Jeisson Palacios partnership has led Nashville SC defense

Maxwell Woledzi looked like he might run out of Geodis Park entirely.

In his first season with Nashville SC, Woledzi has built a reputation as an on-field hype man. The young Ghanaian defender frequently waves his arms in front of the supporters' section to pump them up during matches. After wins, he often hops into the section himself, megaphone in tow — a tradition he kept alive from his previous team, Norwegian club Fredrikstad.

Woledzi's first goal celebration for Nashville didn't disappoint. After his header in the 48th minute of the team's 2-1 win over New York City FC on May 23, he sprinted a lap of the field before breaking into a dance in front of the home end. For a player who thrives off energy as much as Woledzi, it only made sense his first NSC goal came at home.

"I did not see the celebration, but I'm sure it was great and positive and full of energy," Nashville coach B.J. Callaghan said. "Because that's authentically who Maxwell is. What you're seeing on the field, on how he plays and how he's so committed, but also bringing players together, that's him from day one."

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Woledzi probably didn't want to feel left out either, not after his partner in central defense, Jeisson Palacios, opened the scoring for Nashville (10-1-3, 33 points) in the 16th minute. The win over NYCFC (5-6-4, 19 points) was the first time Nashville has ever had two center backs score goals in the same game.

Callaghan praised the team's preparation and execution on set pieces, which led to both goals. Palacios scored directly off a corner kick, jumping over NYCFC left back Nico Cavallo to score on a header, and Woledzi's goal came as NYCFC struggled to regroup following a corner.

But Woledzi and Palacios' main contributions in 2026 have come in leading a defense that's allowed just 11 goals in 14 games — the lowest average in MLS — and recorded 11 shutouts across all competitions. Both players have strong cases to be selected to this summer's All-Star game.

"Those guys are selfless," Callaghan said. "They do all the dirty work. They're not looking for their recognition, they're not looking for their name in the headlines, but it is nice to give them their recognition. Tonight, they executed well by scoring, but I also thought they played really well in the back and handled some difficult moments."

How Jeisson Palacios-Maxwell Woledzi duo has excelled for Nashville SC

Woledzi has won 68.8% of his duels, which puts him in the top 10% of MLS center backs this season, per FotMob. He also has been one of the best at progressing the ball upfield, averaging 68.4 passes (12th in the league) while completing nearly 94% of his attempts and 0.53 dribbles per 90 minutes.

Palacios has been an equally sharp distributor, averaging 72.35 passes per 90 (eighth in MLS). He has been one of the most accurate long-ball passing center backs in the league, averaging four per game, and like Woledzi, has won the majority of his defensive duels. Palacios didn't play a minute during his first month with Nashville in 2025, but he joined the starting lineup after Walker Zimmerman suffered a concussion that April and has rarely left.

"Give credit to the scouting department for identifying Jeisson," Callaghan said of Palacios, who had spent nearly his whole career in his home country of Colombia before signing with Nashville. "He's always had the traits . . . He's got a skill set that fits our style. He's a player that can win duels, he's a player that can play in the channel, defend in wide areas. He's a monster inside the penalty box, and he reads the game with the ball well."

Woledzi and Palacios have started all but six of Nashville's 22 games together this season. And despite their eight-year age gap and different countries of origin, Woledzi considers Palacios, 32, his "senior brother."

"(The difference) is not the play style, it's the name," Woledzi said. "He's Palacios, I'm Maxwell. When I look at Jeisson, when we have unit meetings, the conversations we have, when he sees something that he has to correct, I see exactly what Jeisson is saying . . . I see a lot of similarity in him."

Jacob Shames can be reached by email at jshames@gannett.com and on X/Twitter @Jacob_Shames.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville SC defense led by Maxwell Woledzi, Jeisson Palacios tandem