Darlington Nagbe hasn’t been to Portland since he was traded from the Timbers to Atlanta United in December 2017.
One MLS Cup victory over those Timbers and one Campeones Cup won on Wednesday later, Nagbe will set foot in Providence Park for the first time when the Five Stripes play the Timbers on Sunday.
He said he doesn’t think he will receive a spectacular reception, though he did help Portland win the MLS Cup in 2015, but he admits he is curious.
“I have no clue,” he said.
Nagbe said he doesn’t think returning for the first time will have more meaning because Atlanta United played Portland twice last season and “playing them in finals is the biggest stage you can get against your former team.”
Nagbe spent his first seven years in MLS with Portland where he developed into one of the better two-way midfielders in the league with 27 goals scored and 30 assists. Nagbe asked to be traded after the 2017 season and Atlanta United jumped at the chance to acquire him in exchange for $750,000 in General Allocation Money, $300,000 in Targeted Allocation Money and an International spot.
Nagbe proved his worth in helping Atlanta United come within three points of winning the Supporters’ Shield, and then erasing that disappointment by defeating the Timbers in Mercedes-Benz Stadium to win the MLS Cup.
With another trophy on the line, Nagbe again came up big in the Campeones Cup against Club America by almost single-handedly bossing the midfield to dictate the game’s tempo.
Atlanta United manager Frank de Boer said on Friday that Nagbe was “one of the best midfielders in MLS.”
Nagbe’s future will be interesting.
He has made just one appearance for the U.S. men’s national team in the past two years. Nagbe implied that he hasn’t heard from manager Gregg Berhalter in quite a while. Nagbe also seems OK with that saying he has no problems with the players Berhalter has selected.
“Focus on my club and everything else will take care of itself,” he said.
Though Nagbe once had discussions about playing at Celtic when the famed Scottish club was managed by Brendan Rodgers, he said it would take a special situation for he and his family to consider playing for a club in Europe because of the adjustments it would take.
“Glad it didn’t work out,” he said. “I got a chance to be here and won another trophy.”
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