Darlington Nagbe was born in Liberia, ending up in Cleveland, Ohio at age 11. The central midfielder played his college ball at the University of Akron. There, he won the Hermann Trophy, essentially the Heisman of college soccer. In the 2011 MLS SuperDraft, the Portland Timbers selected Nagbe No. 2 overall. He won the 2011 Goal of the Year in his rookie season, juggling the ball and hitting a science-breaking volley into the top corner. Nagbe was a regular starter for Portland across his first three seasons in the league. He also won the MLS Fair Play Award in 2013. Heading in the 2014 season, Nagbe was already a solidified player, with 17 goals and 9 assists total.
While 2013 was Nagbe's highest goal-scoring season, 2014 saw his career high in assists. He scored one goal for the Timbers, while assisting 7. He did score once more in an Open Cup match against the Seattle Sounders. He waited a very long time to score his first and only MLS goal of the season, putting a deflected shot past FC Dallas on Decision Day. He recorded his 7th assist of the year against San Jose. The Timbers missed the playoffs by just a single point. In 2015, that changed in a big way.
The 2015 season is the best overall in Portland's young history thus far. Darlington Nagbe played a huge role in that in the center of the park. He earned his first goal contribution of the season in the second match, assisting a creative one with a spin against the LA Galaxy. While Nagbe has scored and assisted plenty of goals, the vast majority of contributions come off the statsheet. His passing ability and calm presence in the middle, with close touch and control makes him such a desired part of any squad. In a June Cascadia Cup match with Seattle, he opened up his account on the season with a screaming shot from long range. He put another past Houston in August. In the penultimate game of the regular season, Nagbe scored as a part of a 5-2 victory over the Galaxy, dribbling the goalkeeper. For the second straight Decision Day, he scored, this time on two occasions against the Colorado Rapids. He hit a free kick right down Broadway, before clipping a header into the far netting. The Timbers finished third, getting past SKC and Vancouver in the playoffs. In the Western Conference Final, Nagbe assisted a goal against FC Dallas as Portland advanced to MLS Cup. In the final, he assisted the goal that saw the Portland Timbers named champions of Major League Soccer in 2015.
In 2016, the Timbers fell victim to MLS' famed parity. The reigning champions did not even reach the playoffs. It was another solid season for Nagbe regardless, who was named a 2016 MLS All-Star, just his first appearance on the team. His lone goal on the year came against Vancouver in May, a perfect curled free kick over the wall. Three days later, he scored a goal for the United States in a friendly against Ecuador. He has 25 caps for the US in his career. He has declined call-ups ever since, to focus on his family and club. He also participated in Copa America during the summer months. He assisted a goal against the Galaxy right before the ASG. He played one half in the 2-1 loss to Arsenal. He scored another free kick in a CCL match against El Salvador's Club Deportivo Dragon. The season ended on a disappointing note for the champs. Prior to 2017, Nagbe was rumored to make a move to Celtic in Scotland, but it fell through.
Instead, he continued in Portland for one last season. It went a whole lot better. The Timbers won the Western Conference regular season with 53 points, though Toronto FC won the Supporters' Shield with 69 points. Nagbe scored 3 goals and assisted 5. He scored a low strike during a visit to Philadelphia. Two matches later, they defeated Vancouver en route to a Cascadia Cup victory, with a Nagbe bar-down beauty. His final goal of the year came against Colorado, where he beat Tim Howard with a no-step curler. Nagbe notched at least 5 assists in four straight years. As the first seed in the West, the Timbers were shocked by the Houston Dynamo in their very first playoff series, sending them home quickly. The second leg loss was the last time he ever played for the team in Oregon, he left quite a legacy there.
On December 13, 2017, Atlanta United acquired Darlington Nagbe in exchange for up to $1.65m GAM. In his second match with his new club, he recorded an assist versus DC United. His first season for the Five Stripes included 3 assists, though he was still searching for his first goal. The 2018 season was a surging one for Atlanta. In just their second year of existence, they entered the postseason as the second seed. They knocked off both New York teams to qualify for MLS Cup 2018. In the final, the opponent was none other than Darlington Nagbe's former team, the Portland Timbers. At the end of the night, it was the Timbers who were outmatched, as Nagbe hoisted his second MLS Cup trophy.
In 2019, Nagbe continued with Atlanta United. In July, he finally opened his account for the club in a 5-0 thrashing of Houston, planting a first-time shot in the top corner. He added another on Decision Day, a day he enjoyed scoring on. It was a tally against the New England Revolution, who the second-seeded AUFC played in the playoffs as well. After knocking Philadelphia out, Atlanta did not make it to a second straight MLS Cup due to a loss to Toronto FC. Despite the loss in the playoffs, Nagbe won both the US Open Cup and Campeones Cup with Atlanta United in 2019, adding to his growing trophy case.
On November 13, 2019, Darlington Nagbe was traded to the Columbus Crew in exchange for $1.05m in allocation money. He played the pandemic year with his newest team, scoring and assisting once. Both came in the same match, in the first game back from the MLS is Back Tournament, versus Chicago. His only goal was also the 2020 MLS Goal of the Year, which marks the second time he won the award. He flicked a Gyasi Zardes layoff into the air, seemingly a split-second decision, before hitting his self-pass on the volley and straight into the back of the net. The Crew ended up in third place. In the first postseason match, Nagbe put his name on the scoresheet in a 3-2 win over RBNY. An Eastern Conference Final triumph over New England sent the Crew onto the final. Nagbe was unable to play in MLS Cup 2020 due to Covid, but his team went onto defeat Seattle 3-0 and add another cup to his resume.
In 2021, Nagbe won the Campeones Cup with Columbus, the second of his career. He scored 2 more times, the first coming against NYCFC in July. It was a great run and a clean chip at Lower.com Field. The latter was scored against the New York Red Bulls. He assisted 2 goals in one match against Inter Miami towards the end of the year. It was a disappointing season that ended without a playoff appearance. In 2022, Nagbe returned to the MLS All-Star Team. He scored 3 goals on the season, finishing it up with a goal at BMO Field in Toronto. He played one half against Liga MX in the ASG. One again, the Crew went without playoffs.
Heading into 2023 at the age of 33, Darlington Nagbe continued on with the Columbus Crew. His statistics were identical to that of 2022, with 3 goals and an assist. He opened his scoring against Orlando in May. Yet again, it was a goal on the last day of the season, teeing one up from outside the box against Montreal. Columbus finally made it back to the playoffs, with a third place finish in the East. In the best-of-3 series against Nagbe's previous team, he scored in the game three 4-2 victory that put them through. On Nov. 17, Nagbe signed a new contract with Columbus that is set to keep him with the club through at least 2025. The Crew beat Orlando 2-0 to advance to the Eastern Conference Final. At the time of writing, the ECF will take place on next Saturday as the Columbus Crew visit FC Cincinnati at TQL Stadium for a Hell is Real Derby. The captain has an opportunity to add a fourth MLS Cup to his resume if the Crew can win just two more games. The iconic MLS midfielder has excelled everywhere that he has played, placing him at #12.
YEAR | CLUB | MINUTES | GOALS | ASSISTS |
2023 | CLB | 2,791 | 3 | 1 |
2022 | CLB | 3,039 | 3 | 1 |
2021 | CLB | 2,910 | 2 | 5 |
2020 | CLB | 1,199 | 1 | 1 |
2019 | ATL | 2,825 | 2 | 4 |
2018 | ATL | 1,970 | 0 | 3 |
2017 | POR | 2,332 | 3 | 5 |
2016 | POR | 2,416 | 1 | 5 |
2015 | POR | 2,842 | 5 | 5 |
2014 | POR | 2,681 | 1 | 7 |
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