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SPORTSFriday 27 November 2015
Nagbe’s year: Citizenship, playoffs and the U.S. national team
ANNE M. PETERSON in 2011 by the expansion Nagbe appeared in both
AP Sports Writer games, a 6-1 victory over
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Portland Timbers. The next St. Vincent at the Grena-
Things couldn’t be better dines, and a 0-0 draw with
for Darlington Nagbe. year he was reunited with Trinidad and Tobago in
The 25-year-old midfielder Port-of-Spain.
became an American citi- Porter when he was made “I hate to overhype him,
zen in September, he just but America doesn’t really
returned from his first call-up coach of the Timbers. produce a lot of those shifty
with the U.S. national team, players that can get their
and his Portland Timbers Portland went 15-11-8 this foot on the ball and make
are in the MLS Cup playoffs. people miss. It’s not always
To top it off, Nagbe and his season, earning the West- spectacular, but just a little
wife are expecting a son shift here or there to unbal-
next month. ern Conference’s third ance the defense,” said
The enormity of it all U.S. goalkeeper Tim How-
dawned on him when he seed in the playoffs. The ard. “I like him a lot. I think
made his national team he has a lot of potential
debut in a World Cup quali- Timbers defeated Sport- and I think he’s a good kid.”
fying match against St. Vin- His inclusion on the team
cent and the Grenadines ing KC in the knockout was made possible in Sep-
in St. Louis two weeks ago. tember, when Nagbe offi-
Nagbe wore a broad smile round, before beating the cially became a U.S. citizen
as he entered the game in in a private ceremony with
the 64th minute. Vancouver Whitecaps 2-0 his wife and daughter after
“Just the whole process. completing the naturaliza-
Getting citizenship, and in the two legs of the con- tion test.
my family and everything “I’ve known him for a long
like that,” he said about ference semifinal. time, and I think it’s a big
the thoughts that raced moment for not only his soc-
through his mind in the mo- Last Sunday the Timbers cer career, but for his life
ment. “Finally getting a and his family,” Porter said
chance to wear the colors. opened the conference at the time. “So I’m really
It was exciting.” happy on all levels for him.
Nagbe was born in Liberia finals with a 3-1 victory at It gives him the chance to
and his father played for go into the national team,
the national team. But civil home over FC Dallas. The which opens up new doors,
war prompted his mother new opportunities, new
Somah to flee the country second leg is set for Sunday challenges for him and his
when Darlington was just soccer career.”
a few months old. Joseph in Frisco, Texas. Nagbe says he was thrilled
Nagbe, who was playing with his first national
professionally in France at Portland has peaked at the team appearance and a
the time, found the family chance to don the U.S. col-
in a refugee camp in Sierra right time, going 5-0-2 in the ors, but ultimately his new
Leone. citizenship means so much
The Nagbes traveled team’s last seven games. more. It’s the completion of
throughout Europe, follow- one journey and the start of
ing Joseph Nagbe’s ca- The playoff teams had a another.q
two-week break after the
conference semifinals,
which was when Nagbe
In this Nov. 22, 2015, photo, Portland Timbers forward/midfielder learned he’d be making his
Darlington Nagbe (6) moves the ball against FC Dallas during
the first half of the first leg of the MLS soccer Western Conference debut with the U.S. national
championship in Portland, Ore.
team.
Associated Press
Coach Jurgen Klinsmann
left Clint Dempsey off
reer. But when Darlington the MAC Hermann Award the roster for the first two
was 11, Somah moved the for the nation’s top college
family to the United States, player as a junior. matches in the long qualify-
hoping for some stability “He was huge,” Nagbe said
and a solid education for of Porter. “Going to the Uni- ing path to the 2018 World
her sons. versity of Akron was a new
The family settled in Ohio, experience for me. I didn’t Cup in Russia. He added
where Nagbe became a deal well with new environ-
top youth player. When he ments, but he made it com- Nagbe and fellow first-tim-
was 15, he caught the eye fortable for me. He was a
of Akron coach Caleb Por- guy I could go to, and still er Matt Miazga of the Red
ter, who recruited him to go to, for advice about
play for the Zips. anything, whether it’s fam- Bulls on the 23-man roster.
In three seasons with Akron, ily or soccer or anything.”
Nagbe scored 19 goals Nagbe was the second “Our younger players have
and had 19 assists. He won overall pick in the MLS draft
to come out of their shell,”
Klinsmann said. “We know
Clint inside and out. He’s al-
ways there. But we have to
have a big picture toward
Russia 2018. We need our
young guys to make an im-
pression.”
Klitschko out to silence Fury,
prolong heavyweight reign
CIARAN FAHEY them in the ring. staredown the day before, Ukraine’s World boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko attends a
Associated Press Bryant Jennings, Alexander asking for a smile — “let’s public training session at the airport in Duesseldorf, Germany,
BERLIN (AP) — Tyson Fury’s Povetkin, Mariusz Wach, see those teeth” — and prior his heavyweight boxing fight against challenger Tyson Fury
promise to end Wladimir David Haye and Ruslan complimenting him on the from Britain, Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2015. The title bout will take
Klitschko’s long heavy- Chagaev have all come way he smells. He coaxed place in Duesseldorf’s LTU arena on Saturday.
weight reign in Duessel- and gone, among a list of the flicker of a smile from
dorf on Saturday is nothing fighters to have their pre- Klitschko, who otherwise re- Associated Press
the defending champion tensions to his throne rudely mained impassively still.
hasn’t heard before. dismissed. Fury’s antics — he recently
Unbeaten in 22 fights since None serenaded Klitschko dressed up as Batman and
April 2004, when he lost by before their bout, howev- wrestled a man wearing a
TKO to Lamon Brewster in er, as Fury did Wednesday Joker costume to the floor
Las Vegas, Klitschko has with his own version of the at a news conference in
heard a succession of chal- Bette Midler tune “Wind Be- England — have added
lengers talk up their chanc- neath My Wings.” The Brit- another level of intrigue to
es before he answered on goaded him during their Saturday’s fight. q
