There were times after the 2021 Major League Soccer season when it was hard to imagine West Chester native Nick Hagglund ever playing for FC Cincinnati again. Even he had his doubts.
The club's newly-hired general manager declined a contract option for 2022, and Hagglund was forced to consider other opportunities.
"Going into free-agency, looking at other teams. Like ‘I can’t believe this is happening to me,'" Hagglund told The Enquirer during a March 1 interview. "Ultimately, I decided to stay in Cincinnati because I wanted to be here. Working really hard and having a great season (in 2022), and just the culmination to be able to win a playoff game for the city meant a ton to me.”
That doubt has long since cleared. Hagglund is now enjoying arguably the best days of his MLS career, which is now in its 10th season with an 11th to come next year, FC Cincinnati announced Tuesday.
Hagglund, a Lakota West graduate, had his contract extended through 2024, which will mark six full seasons in Cincinnati when the extension runs its course.
“We are proud to extend Nick and have him with us through 2024,” FC Cincinnati General Manager Chris Albright said in a team news release. “His leadership within our group is invaluable, and his connection to our community and fans embodies the spirit of our organization.”
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The extension is a natural progression if you've been watching Hagglund's performance surge over the last 18 months as Hagglund became a mainstay in FCC's renaissance.
After five full seasons with Toronto FC, Hagglund will soon have far exceeded most if not all of the statistical accomplishments from his Toronto days.
Prior to Saturday’s scoreless draw at Orlando City SC, Hagglund had already earned more MLS regular-season appearances with FC Cincinnati than Toronto, where he had 88.
Saturday’s was Hagglund’s 91st regular-season appearance with FC Cincinnati. With 97 appearances across all competitions, he's also closing in on becoming the player to eclipse 100 appearance in FCC's MLS era (Hagglund correctly noted during the interview he had 100-plus appearances in Toronto including MLS Cup playoffs and Canadian Cup matches).
Hagglund, now aged 30, is a decade into his professional career, the first half of which saw him contribute to arguably the greatest MLS teams ever assembled in Toronto.
Hagglund then emerged from three years as a member of FC Cincinnati’s sputtering MLS expansion project to quietly become a defensive rock and leader.
He’s never played more in his career than in recent years. His 24 appearances in 2021 under Jaap Stam and interim head coach Tyrone Marshall were the most since his 2014 rookie season in Toronto.
In 2022, Hagglund bettered that as he was thrust into what might have been an unexpected starting role at the time and went on to make a career-best 31 starts. His 32 appearances were also a career high as he proved to be a vital cog for FC Cincinnati’s first-ever MLS Cup playoff qualifying team.
Cincinnati clearly believes he has much more game in him, too.
Six days prior to the contract announcement, The Enquirer spoke with Hagglund about his growing personal history with FC Cincinnati, and some of the highlights of his journey to this point.
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The Enquirer: Nick, you had great postseason success and cup success in Toronto but the numbers are ticking up at FC Cincinnati. You’re amassing a comparable if not better statistical track record now with FC Cincinnati than you had with Toronto. What’s your reaction to that?Nick Hagglund: “Honestly, it feels like this time is still short and still new and still, you know, TFC felt like it was a building project and I was there for a long time. I feel like I’ve been here a long time but maybe just the excitement of last year (2022) feels new and, I don’t know. I’ve been doing this for 10 years – five years at each club. It’s kind of nice that it basically equals out, the number of matches I’ve played at each.”
TE: With everything you accomplished at TFC in terms of trophies and winners’ medals, was it daunting to try and achieve more at FC Cincinnati when it first started as an expansion team?NH: “When I got to TFC, they hadn’t been to the playoffs ever. They were a club that was looking for history. Didn’t have a lot of success on the field. They had nine years in the league and no playoffs, and by the end of my time there, we’d all achieved MLS Cup, Supporters Shield, Canadian Cup, different things. A lot of history – some of the best teams in MLS history. When I came here, I was thinking, ‘this is the exact same thing. I want to be part of the building blocks creating something like that.’ Obviously, the first three years were tough but to see last year and how things culminated, being a part of that, being a building block is something I’m really proud.”
TE: What do you think has made you such a good builder in terms of eventually helping these organizations achieve success for the first time?NH: “I think it’s just the standard that I hold myself to every day and people see that and I can help people along to a high standard in terms of what it takes. And that has nothing to do with talent. That just has to do with doing the little things, the hard work, the dirty work, the little things of respecting the people around you, having a good time and reminding yourself like ‘we’re playing soccer for a living.’ Sometimes we get a little in our head about it, so kind of all those little things. So, having a good attitude, having good effort. Those are two things you can control. That’s kind of my motto and I kind of try to exude that.“You know, when I was at Xavier, Xavier was another program without a lot of history. By the of my time, we’d gone to three NCAA Tournaments, two Atlantic-10 titles, so I like being part of that nitty-gritty, the tough moments, the grinding aspect of things and I’m not afraid of adversity. I feel like I know who I am and what I’m about, and I like to bring that to things that need a little bit of love.”
TE: How was the job that Greg Vanney wanted you to do at TFC different from what you were initially asked to do at FC Cincinnati, because by the time you came to FC Cincinnati you were an established pro and you were a priority for them to acquire going into 2019. How were the jobs different?NH: "The first season in 2014, I had a really good season. I had to get my feet wet into what a professional is and got 25 games under my belt. My second season, I was beaten down a little bit. Kind of needed a reminded about what it takes and that was actually when Greg took over and he told me, ‘there are the things that you need to work on in your game.’ And I’d go down and play games in USL, I’d play games in MLS. I was kind of everywhere, realizing who I was as a player and what it took. That’s when I realized I have to be the best player I can be every day. Over time, that’s going to create something. By my third year (in 2016), I wasn’t playing much but at the end of that year, I started all the playoff games. Greg slotted me in and I was up for it. I had grinded for two years and getting that opportunity taught me the importance of the little things and getting knocked down. So, at TFC I feel like I learned about who I was as a soccer player and then as I came here, it was time to put all that together and lead the team as well, and off the field, too."
TE: You’ve had more appearances for FC Cincinnati the last two seasons combined than at any other point in your MLS career. That stuff usually isn’t happening in years eight and nine of a pro career. What do you attribute to the fact that you’ve come on so strong at this point of your career?NH: “To be honest, I think I was figuring myself out in Toronto, doing well. Then I got traded and we had three tough years here. I don’t know exactly what happened but there was a lot of change, a lot of pressure, a lot of things going on in my personal life, and we had the COVID-19 year (in 2020) and I played right back for an entire season. And then Pat (Noonan) and Chris (Albright) came in changed the culture and were able to drive home the things that I do well as a player and I feel like they gave me the opportunity. I took it from there.”
TE: You are 30 years old. You’ve still got years left in the tank if you want to continue playing but you’ve also been at it for a decade already. That takes a toll. Have you thought about how much longer you want to be in the game?NH: "I’m all in. I don’t want to have my feet in two different things, two different careers. While I’m playing soccer, I want to focus on soccer. Obviously, it’s always on my mind – what’s next? What are my skills going to translate to next? But for me, it’s until my legs fall off. When I feel like I’m not an asset on the field anymore, and that’s not just as a player but as a mentor and what not. When I feel like I don’t got it anymore, that’s the time to hang my boots up. When I feel like I can’t help the team anymore, that’s it. But I always believe in myself so I don’t think that’s gonna be a hard day when it comes."
TE: Who has been your favorite player to compete against in training in your career?NH: "When I was in Toronto, going up against Sebastian Giovinco and Jozy Altidore was a blast. It just really tested you on what your footwork was like that day. It felt good when you stuck a tackle in on them."
TE: And your best memory or biggest accomplishment from these first 10 years?NH: "I’ve got one each from Toronto and Cincinnati. With Toronto, I would say it was in 2016, I basically played USL all year and there was little chance I – you know, I’d played some Canadian Cup matches and made some sub appearances in MLS but it didn’t look like anything was going to happen. I actually booked a vacation. It was like, ‘I don’t know what’s going to happen but I need a carrot to get through this year.’ We booked a vacation to Hawaii and then that’s when I got my opportunity to play. I scored a huge goal in the semifinal and that was kind of a culmination of all the stuff that I’m about and the reward of that. Playing in an MLS Cup final, having to cancel my vacation. Obviously, that was a little bit bitter for my wife but that was a really good memory."And last year, the playoff win (vs. New York Red Bulls) was the culmination of just three years of grinding, having my contract declined. Going into free-agency, looking at other teams. Like ‘I can’t believe this is happening to me.’ Ultimately, I decided to stay in Cincinnati because I wanted to be here. Working really hard and having a great season and just the culmination to be able to win a playoff game for the city meant a ton to me.”
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