Nagbe appeared in 214 games with the Timbers, contributing 27 goals and 30 assists before being named to the club's All-Time XI in 2025
Former Portland Timbers midfielder and club All-Time XI member Darlington Nagbe announced today that he will retire following the close of the 2025 MLS postseason.
In a statement on social media, Nagbe said, "Thank you, Portland, for giving me the first opportunity to play this game professionally, and I’ll never forget lifting the MLS Cup together."
Nagbe, 35, enjoyed a 15-season career in Major League Soccer – spending his first seven with the Timbers (2011-2017) – as well playing two with Atlanta United FC (2018-2019) before his final six with Columbus Crew SC (2020-2025).
Born in Liberia, Nagbe's family eventually settled in Cleveland, Ohio where he starred on local youth clubs. Following a standout college career at the University of Akron that saw him win the Hermann Trophy as the 2010 College Soccer Player of the Year and also helping lead the Zips to the 2010 College Cup national championship, Nagbe became the Timbers first-ever MLS SuperDraft pick in 2011 where he was selected No. 2 overall.
Path to Portland: Darlington Nagbe
With Portland, Nagbe appeared in 214 regular-season games – the most among his three MLS teams – scoring 27 goals and contributing 30 assists. His appearances, goals and assists all rank among the top five in club history. Playing in his 200th league appearance for Portland against Seattle Sounders FC on June 25, 2017, Nagbe, then 27, became the second-youngest player in league history to play 200 games with a single club in MLS. Notably, his 444 career MLS appearances across all three teams rank fifth all-time in MLS history.
A constant presence in the middle of the pitch, Nagbe was creative and savvy on the ball helping connect the field by shuttling play forward to create while also helping maintain important possession.
In just his eighth MLS start of his rookie 2011 season, Nagbe scored a spectacular goal. Collecting a loose ball from out of the air on the edge of the penalty area, Nagbe juggled it twice before volleying it into the back of the net. The tremendous bit of skill won him the 2011 MLS Goal of the Year.
His 2013 campaign with the Timbers featured a career high in goals (9) while he started every match as the team earned the best record in the Western Conference (14-5-15) and made their first appearance in the MLS Cup Playoffs. Nagbe was also named MLSsoccer.com's top player that year in their 2013 24 Under 24 list – a collection of the league's most talented young players.
A key contributor to the club's first ever MLS Cup championship in 2015, Nagbe played every minute of that year's postseason run and the midfielder scored a converted a key penalty kick in the team's shootout win against Sporting Kansas City in the Knockout Round. Later in the final against the Columbus Crew, Nagbe's heads up play to win the ball back at midfield earned him an assist on Rodney Wallace's game-winning goal as the Timbers lifted their first major trophy of their MLS era.
Nagbe's accolades with Portland also included two MLS Fair Play Awads (2013, 2016) – awarded to the player presenting the most sportsmanlike behavior – and he was also voted into the 2016 MLS All-Star Game. While representing the U.S. on the international stage, Nagbe earned 25 caps and helped the U.S. team win the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup while being named to the tournament Best XI.
Nagbe's MLS career continued with Atlanta where he won the 2018 MLS Cup, the 2019 Campeones Cup and the 2019 U.S. Open Cup. Returning to his home state of Ohio in 2020 with the Crew, Nagbe was a two-time MLS All-Star (2022, 2024) while also winning two more MLS Cups (2020, 2023) as well as another Campeones Cup (2021) and a Leagues Cup (2024). He is one of only five players in MLS history to have won three MLS Cups with three or more teams and one of only 10 players to have won four league championships.
In 2025, as part of the Timbers' 50 year anniversary, Nagbe was named to the club's All-Time Best XI alongside club greats spanning the club's half century of soccer history.
