Darlington Nagbe

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Lore & Background

Nagbe was born in Liberia and left the country as a five-month-old when his mother fled due to the First Liberian Civil War, taking him and his brother with her. They joined her husband Joe Nagbe, a professional soccer player, and his career took the family to France, Greece, and Switzerland before they eventually settled in the Cleveland area in 2001 when Darlington was 11 years old. Nagbe grew up in Lakewood, Ohio, where he attended Lakewood High School and then St. Edward High School, scoring 18 goals and adding 10 assists as a senior. He was a member of the Region II ODP team, was a 2007 adidas ESP All-Star and was member of the Ohio North ODP team, as well as winning four Ohio North state club titles with the Cleveland Internationals. Nagbe also participated in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy with the Internationals. He played college soccer at the University of Akron, scoring 19 goals and contributing 19 assists in 73 matches during three collegiate seasons. He was a Soccer America All-Freshman first-team honoree, and was named All-MAC Newcomer of the Year as a freshman in 2008. As a sophomore in 2009, Nagbe was named to the NSCAA All-America Second Team, Soccer America MVP Second Team, Top Drawer Soccer Team of the Season Second Team, All-Great Lakes Region First Team, and All-Mid-American Conference First Team. In 2010, Nagbe helped the Akron Zips to their first national championship, a 1–0 win against Louisville; he was subsequently named to the NSCAA All-America First Team, the All-MAC First Team, the College Cup All-Tournament Team, and was honored with the Hermann Trophy as the 2010 College Soccer Player of the Year. During his college years, Nagbe also played four seasons with the Cleveland Internationals in the USL Premier Development League, scoring seven goals in 18 league appearances.

In Their Own Story

On April 11, 2016, Providence Park fell silent. Nagbe had been taken down by a hard tackle from LA Galaxy's Nigel de Jong, leaving him stretchered off the field and departing the stadium in a wheelchair. The injury was diagnosed as a sprained ankle, and Nagbe missed just two matches before returning. De Jong received a yellow card for the tackle and was later suspended for three games. The incident became a defining moment of resilience for Nagbe, who would go on to be named to his first MLS All-Star Game later that July.

Reader's Guide

After signing a Generation Adidas contract to forgo his remaining year of college eligibility, Nagbe was selected by Portland Timbers in the first round (second overall) of the 2011 MLS SuperDraft. After missing the first few weeks of the season due to hernia surgery, Nagbe made his professional debut on April 2, 2011, in a 1–1 draw against the New England Revolution. Nagbe scored his first goal in Major League Soccer with a volley, which was eventually named the 2011 MLS Goal of the Year, in a 2–1 loss to Sporting Kansas City on July 2, 2011. In 2012, Nagbe scored the first brace of his career, coming against Real Salt Lake on March 12. Nagbe's next three goals would come in successive games, as he ended the 2012 season with six total goals. He struggled to find a true role in the direct attacking system deployed by the Timbers, but was mostly deployed as an attacking midfielder. On January 8, 2013, Nagbe was reunited with his coach at Akron, Caleb Porter, after Porter was officially hired by Portland. Nagbe finished the 2013 season with 11 goals scored across all competitions, playing mainly on the left wing. Highlights include four goals scored against FC Dallas across four matches, as well as a goal in the postseason—Portland's first postseason appearance—in the first leg of the quarter-finals against rivals Seattle Sounders FC. After the season, Nagbe was awarded with the individual Fair Play Award, after committing only eight fouls and receiving one yellow card in 2,848 minutes of regular-season play. The 2014 season saw Nagbe spend the majority of his time on the right wing and ended the year with two total goals, the first goal coming as a game-tying goal in the 93rd minute of a U.S. Open Cup match with Seattle Sounders FC, and the second goal coming on the last day of the season against FC Dallas. He would set a career high in assists with seven. Nagbe was a part of Portland's MLS Cup-winning campaign in 2015 and started the year playing as an attacking midfielder covering for Diego Valeri, who was recovering from an ACL tear. After Valeri's return to fitness, Nagbe returned to the wings, before moving into a more central role permanently during the last three games of the regular season—a move that saw him score three of his five total goals. He also received the Fair Play Award for the second time in his career, committing only 11 fouls and receiv

Did You Know?

• Nagbe was selected second overall in the 2011 MLS SuperDraft.
• He finished the 2013 season with 11 goals scored across all competitions.
• He committed only eight fouls in 2,848 minutes of regular-season play in 2013.
• After a tackle by Nigel de Jong on April 11, 2016, Nagbe was stretchered off the field and left the stadium in a wheelchair.

Early Life and Immigration

Nagbe was born in Liberia on July 19, 1990. He left the country as a five-month-old when his mother fled the First Liberian Civil War, taking him and his brother with her. They joined his father, Joe Nagbe, a professional soccer player, whose career took the family to France, Greece, and Switzerland before they settled in the Cleveland area in 2001 when Darlington was 11. He grew up in Lakewood, Ohio, attending Lakewood High School and then St. Edward High School, where he scored 18 goals and added 10 assists as a senior. He was a member of the Region II ODP team, a 2007 adidas ESP All-Star, and a member of the Ohio North ODP team. He won four Ohio North state club titles with the Cleveland Internationals and participated in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy with the Internationals.

Collegiate Dominance at Akron

Nagbe played college soccer at the University of Akron, scoring 19 goals and contributing 19 assists in 73 matches over three seasons. He was a Soccer America All-Freshman first-team honoree and named All-MAC Newcomer of the Year as a freshman in 2008. As a sophomore in 2009, he was named to the NSCAA All-America Second Team, Soccer America MVP Second Team, Top Drawer Soccer Team of the Season Second Team, All-Great Lakes Region First Team, and All-Mid-American Conference First Team. In 2010, he helped the Akron Zips to their first national championship, a 1–0 win against Louisville. He was named to the NSCAA All-America First Team, the All-MAC First Team, the College Cup All-Tournament Team, and received the Hermann Trophy as the 2010 College Soccer Player of the Year. During his college years, he also played four seasons with the Cleveland Internationals in the USL Premier Development League, scoring seven goals in 18 league appearances.

Portland Timbers Era and Breakthrough

Nagbe signed a Generation Adidas contract to forgo his remaining year of college eligibility and was selected by the Portland Timbers second overall in the 2011 MLS SuperDraft. After missing the first few weeks due to hernia surgery, he made his professional debut on April 2, 2011, in a 1–1 draw against the New England Revolution. His first MLS goal, a volley against Sporting Kansas City on July 2, 2011, was named the 2011 MLS Goal of the Year. In 2012, he scored his first brace against Real Salt Lake on March 12 and finished with six goals. On January 8, 2013, he was reunited with his Akron coach Caleb Porter, who was hired by Portland. Nagbe finished 2013 with 11 goals across all competitions, playing mainly on the left wing, and earned the MLS Fair Play Award after committing only eight fouls and receiving one yellow card in 2,848 minutes. In 2014, he spent most of his time on the right wing, scoring two goals and setting a career high in assists with seven. In 2015, he was part of Portland's MLS Cup-winning campaign, starting the year as an attacking midfielder covering for Diego Valeri before moving to the wings and then into a central role for the final three regular-season games, scoring three of his five goals. He earned his second Fair Play Award, committing only 11 fouls and receiving no bookings. In 2016, he re-signed with Portland, was injured by a Nigel de Jong tackle on April 11 (a sprained ankle that caused him to miss two matches), was named to his first MLS All-Star Game in July, and was close to a £3 million move to Celtic that fell through. In 2017, he scored a goal from outside the box in a 3–1 win on April 8 and a "stunning" solo goal against the Vancouver Whitecaps on April 22. At the conclusion of the 2017 season, the Timbers included Nagbe in trade talks after Porter stepped down and Nagbe had requested a new contract.

Championship Legacy with Atlanta and Columbus

On December 13, 2017, Atlanta United FC acquired Nagbe for $1.05 million in allocation money, with a potential additional $600,000 dependent on performance bonuses. In 2018, he made 17 straight starting appearances before missing nearly three months due to an adductor strain suffered on June 24 against the Portland Timbers. He was selected for the MLS All-Star Game but missed due to injury. After returning on September 15, he started all five remaining regular-season games and all five playoff games, helping Atlanta United win their first MLS Cup, a 2–0 victory over the Portland Timbers. In 2019, he informed new head coach Frank De Boer of personal issues, arriving late to preseason and leaving early. Reports suggested interest in a move to an Ohio-based club to be closer to family. He was an integral part of the team that won the 2019 U.S. Open Cup and the Campeones Cup, starting 44 games and appearing in 46 across all competitions. Atlanta United offered him a multi-year extension mid-season, which he rejected. On November 13, 2019, the Columbus Crew acquired Nagbe in exchange for $1.05 million in total allocation money and an international roster spot, reuniting him with Caleb Porter. In the COVID-shortened 2020 season, he appeared in 15 of 23 regular-season games, missing eight due to injury, and scored his first goal for Columbus in a 3–0 win against the Chicago Fire on August 20. He would go on to win two more MLS Cup titles, a Leagues Cup trophy, and an additional Campeones Cup with Columbus. Nagbe made his international debut for the United States in November 2015 in a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying match. He earned 25 caps and won the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

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