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Darlington Nagbe still the center of the Columbus Crew universe | Michael Arace
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- Darlington Nagbe still the center of the Columbus Crew universe | Michael Arace
Selfishness doesn't fit into team sports. The ball must be shared. However, Darlington Nagbe could very well keep it at his feet for an entire match, and I bet no one could take it away. The captain of Columbus is a humble soul and an outstanding football player.
I met him 10 years ago, and he was a dazzling right winger with a scoring touch. Today, he is a midfielder who understands everything "his" team needs.
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The quiet little man empowers himself when he plays. That's how he speaks. In silence, he mourns injustices and savors the candies of pain. This profession has its gray clouds. Nagbe is a sun. He grows on the field, his smile shines on the stage, holding a trophy in his hands, as he did with every club he played for.
If I ever have grandchildren and they ask me about soccer in the United States, I will tell them I played with him.
-- Diego Valeri on X, Dec. 3, 2023, 10:45 a.m., the morning after the Crew came back from two goals down on the road to defeat Cincinnati in the MLS Eastern Conference final.
While some of the metaphors may have gotten mixed in translation, the picture remains sharp. Valeri, an Argentine attacking midfielder who had 100 goals and 104 assists across all competitions for the Portland Timbers from 2013-2022 and is one of the greatest MLS players of all time, conveyed well the value of the player, teammate and man. Nagbe, the captain of the Black & Gold Crew, is the gold. He is a sun.
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Nagbe is quantifiable. He won an NCAA title and the Hermann Trophy, designating the best player in college soccer, in 2010. Since, he has won four MLS Cups with three different teams. He has won two Campeones Cups, one U.S. Open Cup and, representing his adopted country, a CONCACAF Gold Cup with the U.S. Men's National Team.
Nagbe is unquantifiable. He was expected to be a star when he was drafted No. 2 overall. He did not put up huge numbers when he entered the league playing the wings or at attacking mid. He was accused of lacking a killer instinct. One of his general managers once said that Nagbe obviously had great parents because he was so obviously a lovely person, and his teammates loved him – but maybe he was too nice.
When Nagbe settled into a more central role – first as a No. 8 in Portland and Atlanta and then as a hybrid No. 6 in Columbus − he became a crucial piece to championship teams in all three cities. Everyone who has ever watched Nagbe understands you need this the man to win, but only Valeri can come close to describing the reason.
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"Statistically, he's enigmatic," said Eliot McKinley, a data analyst and frequent contributor to American Soccer Analytics. "He's more of a facilitator. He keeps possession so well. It's hard to quantify that. ASA has statistics (that link passing with contributions to attack and defense) and his numbers are good, but they don't really pop."
According to McKinley, since 2013, when he broke into the league as an attacking player, Nagbe's passing rate (of competition) is 91%. It exceeds his expected passing rate of 87%. All-time, only one player – the great Ozzie Alonso , who recently retired after 15 years with Seattle, Minnesota and Atlanta – has completed more passes than expected. Rounding out the top five are Diego Chara , Michael Bradley and Wil Trapp.
What does that mean?
"It means he's a really good at making passes," McKinley said. "Chara was a ball-winner, which is not quite what Nagbe is. He's just a hard guy to put in a box. (Crew coach) Wilfried Nancy is a perfect fit for him. He controls the tempo. He bides his time on the ball and goes when he sees its appropriate."
Jul 6, 2024; Columbus, OH, USA; Columbus Crew midfielder Darlington Nagbe (6) makes contact with Toronto FC midfielder Kosi Thompson (47) during the second half of the MLS soccer match at Lower.com Field. The Crew won 4-0.
That may be Nagbe's superpower – his ability to read the game from the middle of the park and to make decisions with the ball on his foot. And he can't be dispossessed. In Nancy's complex 3-4-2-1 system, Nagbe is the steering wheel, the accelerator and the braking system.
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Despite all the trophies, Nagbe over 13-plus seasons has never been named to an MLS Best XI team. (He was, however, named to the Best XI at the conclusion of the 2017 Gold Cup.) His value is in those trophies and in what league GMs are willing to pay to get him: Twice in his career has Nagbe been traded for more than $1 million in allocation money. Cups have followed.
The MLS Players Association has been conducting an anonymous poll of its members since 2021 and Nagbe has been voted "Most Underrated" in each of the first three polls. Nagbe will be appreciated, then, Sunday night, when a team of MLS stars take on the Liga MX stars in the annual MLS All-Star Game. It'll mark Nagbe's third All-Star appearance.
His approach?
"Just show up," Nagbe said. "A lot of my teammates are going to be there will be – so just enjoy it. First one at home. Everyone in the family, in-laws and everything, is going to come to the game. Just go out there, have a good time, leave the game safe and hope for a good result."
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Might a golazo be in the offing? One never does know with Nagbe. He is almost never mentioned in the same breath as some of the league's greatest defensive midfielders − Alonso, Chris Armas, Kyle Beckerman , Shalrie Joseph , to name a few – but, then, he plays a game that isn't based on physicality. And he has gained renown for ridiculous goals. Nagbeasts, if you will. The league has a video called "Darlington Nagbe: Golazos Only." Check it out on YouTube.
There's one where he takes the ball off his foot, twice, and volleys it inside the right post. There's another where he takes the ball off his knee and volleys it inside the right post. There are a couple where he takes out of the air and blasts them under the crossbar from 30-plus yards. Among these are two MLS Goal of the Year winners. Dwayne De Rosario and Josef Martinez are the only other players in the 29-year history of the league to win the award twice.
His favorite golazo?
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"My first goal," Nagbe said. "Or, the one I had against Dallas with Portland. And I had another one here against Chicago. One of those three."
Nagbe won and NCAA trophy with coach Caleb Porter at Akron. He won MLS Cups with Porter in Portland and Columbus. He also won MLS Cups with Tata Martino in Atlanta and Wilfried Nancy in Columbus.
The Nancy the best-dressed?
"He's up there. They all dress well."
His favorite teammate?
"Diego Chara is probably the guy that had the biggest impact on me," Nagbe said. "Probably, put Valeri in there, too. The two Diegos probably had the biggest impact."
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His favorite trophy?
" The most recent one (2023), I should say ," Nagbe said. "I don't know if it's my favorite, but that's the one that stands out the most, the one I think about the most."
Dear reader, are you sensing a pattern here?
Nagbe doesn't have a favorite anything. He even thinks Tata Martino dresses well.
Ask him how he looks at his career at this stage – he turned 34 on Friday – and he says:
"More with gratefulness. Just grateful for teams I've been on, coaches I've had, people I've met, accomplishments, and being able to stay the same person I was when I started."
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You say, "It sounds like you have good parents."
And he says, "I would say so. I would also say people that have been in my life – teammates, coaches, people I've been around."
Crew midfielder Darlington Nagbe hugs and kisses family members after a 2-2 tie against the New England Revolution in 2021.
He has to share everything – even his parents.
Where does he put all his trophies?
"They're around the house," Nagbe said. "My wife kind of deals with all of that. They're around. Nowhere to be seen."
He doesn't know where they are?
"No, not all of them."
How many does he have?
"Uh. I don't know, exactly. I could maybe name them, but I couldn't count them off the top of my head."
Oct 21, 2023; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Columbus Crew forward Cucho Hernández (9) jumps on Columbus Crew midfielder Darlington Nagbe’s (6) back after he scored their second goal against the CF Montréal during their game on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023 at Lower.com Field.
Nagbe is a sun. He's in the middle of the universe and unconscious of his centrality, radiating warmth to all who are around him. If he's not among the Best XI teammates in MLS, and in life, there must be a recount.
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Is it quantifiable?
Nagbe was born in Liberia. His mother fled war and took the children on the road with their father, who played professional soccer in France, Greece and Switzerland. They moved to the Cleveland area when Nagbe was 11. He played at Lakewood and St. Edward High Schools, and for the vaunted Cleveland Internationals juniors. At one point in his professional career, in 2016, he was very nearly transferred from Portland to Celtic of the Scottish Premiership. The Bigger Time. Subsequently, he angled to get back to Ohio. Home.
"Yeah, I wanted to go (to Celtic)," Nagbe said. "But I think when it didn't happen, I wasn't upset. I look at things, good or bad, like everything happens for a reason. Looking at my career now, I'm happy it didn't work out because I'm exactly where I want to be, in a situation I want to be in. So, I don't look back and say, 'I regret that.' "
He looks forward. To winning another trophy or two – "hopefully, in December" – and having his wife, Felicia, and their children – Mila, Kingston and Isaiah – join him on the field for the postgame rituals. They always do.
Dec 9, 2023; Columbus, OH, USA; Columbus Crew midfielder Darlington Nagbe (6) and Columbus Crew defender Steven Moreira (31) get ready to hosts up the trophy after a 2-1 win over Los Angeles FC during 2023 MLS CUP at Lower.com Field. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Robertson-USA TODAY Sports
"To see my kids come down to the field and just enjoy the scenery," Nagbe said. "The longer I play, the more I make them feel like they can do anything. So as long as I can keep playing, I can make them believe they can be whatever they want to be. And I take great pride in that."
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Is there anything he wants to add to this retrospective of his incredible career, which still seems to be in its prime?
"No. Not really."
Unquantifiable.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Darlington Nagbe at center of Columbus Crew universe | Michael Arace
