Top 5 US players in MLS

Darlington Nagbe

MLS Soccer - Los Angeles Galaxy v Portland Timbers

The son of a professional footballer, Atlanta United’s Darlington Nagbe has had no ordinary life.

Born in Liberia, his mother took him as a child from his homeland due to the civil war that raged at that time. She fled to Europe, where his father, Joe, was turning out for the likes of Monaco and Nice, flitting from France to Switzerland to Greece – wherever his dad’s nomadic career took him.

Eventually, he settled in the United States as an 11-year-old and perhaps given his background, which was dictated by football, it should come as little surprise that he developed into a midfielder in the same attacking mould of his father.

He caught the eye playing college football and was the second overall pick in the 2011 MLS SuperDraft, with Portland Timbers picking him up. Nagbe was to prove a shrewd pickup.

Since debuting in 2011, the 27-year-old has posted consistently steady numbers and hit double figures in terms of goals during 2013 – his best season to date. Indeed, he played an instrumental role in making Portland the best offensive team in the league in 2017, despite netting only three times himself.

He has since moved to Atlanta, well established as a USA international, having received his green card in 2012 then becoming a citizen of the country in 2015. Since qualifying for the national team, he has become a regular, starting seven of the 10 World Cup qualifying matches for Russia 2018.