Pro Soccer Player Reportedly Wants Trade To Be Closer To Lakewood

LAKEWOOD, OH — Professional soccer player Darlington Nagbe has reportedly requested a trade to the Columbus Crew. Reports suggest Nagbe wants to be reunited with his college coach and to be closer to his hometown — Lakewood.

The 28-year-old midfielder missed his first two preseason games with Atlanta United, prompting speculation on his status with the team. Many are now wondering if Nagbe will don a Columbus Crew uniform this season.

Nagbe originally played with the Portland Timbers, but was traded in 2017. Last year, he helped Atlanta United win the MLS Cup. The midfielder was not a cheap acquisition for Atlanta. The club reportedly spent between $600,000 and $1 million in allocation monies on him, Dirty South Soccer reported.

The Crew recently hired Caleb Porter to be their head coach. Porter was the longtime vanguard of the University of Akron program, where Nagbe was a star starting in 2008. If Nagbe were to be traded, he would find himself again under the tutelage of Porter.

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Nagbe also calls Lakewood, Ohio his hometown. He came to the U.S. when he was 11, from Liberia. He played high school soccer at St. Edward before heading to the University of Akron. He earned U.S. citizen ship in 2015 and has been playing in Major League Soccer ever since.

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