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Darlington Nagbe, along with Matt Miazga, are the newest faces to be called up to the United States’ national Team. Nagbe recently was granted citizenship in the United States on September 10, and less than two months after being granted citizenship, he has earned the call-up. During those two months, Nagbe was in absolute blistering form, earning praise for his passing, pace, and ability to beat players in one-on-one situations with composure and ease.
Hailing originally from Liberia, where he left at five due to civil war. Nagbe lived in France, Greece, and Switzerland, before finally settling in Lakeland, Ohio at the age of 11. He played college soccer as a winger for the University of Akron.
During his time playing for the Akron Zips he won a national championship in 2010, and contributed 19 goals and 19 assists in 73 appearances. As a junior, he won First Team All-American Honors and the Hermann Trophy as the best player in the country. While in college he also played for the Cleveland Internationals in the USL Premier Development League, scoring 7 goals in 18 appearances.
Nagbe entered the 2011 Major League Soccer Super Draft and was selected second overall by the Portland Timbers. He missed the first few weeks of the season due to injury, but finally made his debut against the New England Revolution on April 2, 2011.
From that point on, Nagbe never seemed to settle into the MLS. Since 2011, Nagbe played major time at a number of positions. He has seen three formation changes, from three different managers in just four years. With his surroundings, and the position he was playing always changing, he never came around.
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Under John Spencer, he played on the right flank, Nagbe’s natural position, but was switched to a second-striker after Spencer failed to make the 4-3-3 work. Upon the dismissal of Spencer, caretaker manager, Gavin Wilkinson, implemented a 4-2-3-1 with Nagbe as the center-attacking midfielder, rather than out wide.
In this formation, Nagbe was successful, but found it difficult to create with little help around him. Then in 2013, Portland hired Nagbe’s college manager at Akron, Caleb Porter, and the wait finally seemed to be over for Nagbe to come around. Nagbe had a fantastic 2013 season, playing mostly on the right wing. in 2013, he netted nine goals to go along with five assists, and was an all-star. Now that he settled in at right wing, the stats had followed.
Nagbe then took a different approach in 2014, after Porter began to experiment with the squad in hopes of finding an answer to their poor start on the season. Nagbe played both on the left and right, but only found a single goal on the season; Though he did have seven assists.
In early 2015, his woes continued as a winger. Porter changed the formation to a 4-2-3-1, and was then moved to the number 10 role, where his play was average, before being moved back to the right side.
Throughout the season, and his whole career he had been a great passer of the ball, completing upwards of 85% of his passes, but always found trouble getting on the ball. Then, about a month ago Nagbe was moved into a traditional center midfield role as the number eight, and has not looked back.
During the last month, he has flourished. He has gained the ability to win balls, and live in passing lanes. On top of that, he always seems to be in the right place, at the right time. Not to mention, he covers ground like a cheetah, which is essential for a box-to-box midfielder.
Nagbe’s average touches per 90 minutes has gone from 59 to 73 during this month, and his passes per 90 has gone from 42 to 54. He has completed nearly 90% of his passes during this time as well, becoming one of the league’s marquee play-makers. Duringthe month of October, he lead Portland to 5 wins, in 5 games.
Nagbe never seemed like a traditional winger during his tenure in the MLS. He has great skill to go along with blistering pace, and uncanny ball control, but Nagbe never wanted to expand the field like a winger should. He drifted towards the ball, and really lacked off-the-ball runs, like marquee MLS wingers, Lloyd Sam and David Accam. Thus, a move centrally seemed long overdue.
Over the last two seasons, he has created 121 open-play chances, which are very different than creating goals. He sets up play for an assist. He does not have the last ball before the goal, he has the second or third which the United States has been lacking internationally, as their build-up play has been very poor.
With the addition of Nagbe, Jurgen Klinsmann has a big decision to make. Klinsmann has made it clear he likes to protect the backline with the likes of Kyle Beckerman or Jermaine Jones, yet playing the two together is always disastrous. Lately, the 4-4-2 diamond with Beckerman protecting the backline does not offer much of a position centrally for Nagbe, so if he is to start, as he deserves to, it calls for a switch to a 4-3-3.
Beckerman can sit back and hold as Michael Bradley, and Nagbe play as box-to-box midfielders. All three are capable passers, and it should have good build-up play through the center. Nagbe and Bradley are essentially the same, but Nagbe is quicker, and the counter-attack will be more efficient with Nagbe, as opposed to without him. Nagbe rarely loses the ball as well, so he can provide a security blanket late, as the US so often lose the ball trying to look for goals.
Klinsmann could surprise everyone and play Nagbe as a winger; However, considering Nagbe’s current form at center midfield, that would just be another knock against Klinsmann, if it does not work out.
All in all, Nagbe’s call-up is more than deserved and all fans will be eager, if and when he takes the field against St. Vincent & the Grenadines and Trinidad & Tobago. He could be the answer that the United States, and one that Klinsmann has been searching for.