Nick Hagglund wanted to play for FC Cincinnati as soon as the club was awarded a Major League Soccer expansion bid. If he couldn’t join the squad for the inaugural season, then he hoped at least before retirement.
His wish came true.
On Wednesday afternoon, FCC acquired Hagglund via a trade with Toronto FC, which makes him the first Cincinnati native on the team’s MLS roster. Friday morning was his first practice with his hometown club.
“From watching since they became a USL team, I had been following everything the whole time,” he said. “[I was] almost jealous I didn’t have a chance to be a part of the growth of this at the beginning, but I’m excited to be here now.”
Cincinnati is excited for Hagglund, too.
FCC Head Coach Alan Koch said Hagglund’s attitude and positivity was instantly infectious. Players in the locker room were just as excited.
A 26-year-old center back, Hagglund grew up here. He went to Lakota West for high school and Xavier for college. When he graduated, he joined Toronto. FC Cincinnati didn’t exist then. Now, it’s an MLS club that is expected to generate one of the league’s highest average attendances in 2019.
“Going away, there was nothing here,” he said. “To see it grow has been fun. …Cincinnati sports fans are the best. When I saw a team come, I knew something would happen eventually.”
Now that it has, Hagglund can play an influential part in its initial success. He said fans can expect him to be a leader with a winning mentality. He plays simple, he said.
“I’m going to be reliable and you can depend on me in the back,” he added. “I’m an aerial threat and I’m going to work my butt off.”
Following his first practice Friday, Hagglund will join the club in Bradenton, Fla. for a two-week stretch that begins Saturday. When FCC plays three friendlies — the first is Wednesday against Montreal Impact — the center back could debut against his former Canadian rival.
Phone on the “fritz”
Hagglund said he doesn’t know the specifics for how the trade finalized, but he heard whispers and updates from his agent that a move could happen. When it did, everything stopped. It’s been constant since.
“My phone has been on the fritz for about 48 hours,” Hagglund said. “It’s just constant, like every 30 seconds a buzz, a Twitter or Instagram notification, a call or a text. It’s been really fun.”
It’s important to contextualize what Hagglund left in Toronto. There, he became an MLS Cup champion in 2017 and made 88 regular-season appearances across five seasons.
While there’s excitement to return home, he’s leaving the city that molded his professional career. He called it bittersweet.
“But to come home and to be with my family, play in front of my hometown, it’s a dream as a kid,” he said. “If someone told me 5-year-old Nick, who dreamed of playing in front of my hometown, would, you would’ve called me crazy. So, it’s awesome to see this come to fruition. I’m just so excited to get out there with these guys.”
In coming home, Hagglund is back with his family. Initially, his sister lived in Europe, but returned. Now, it’s his turn after leaving Canada. His parents still live here. His wife and her family are from Cincinnati as well.
“For all of us to be back here is really special,” he said. “This is somewhere that was first at the top of my list. I felt like when [MLS expansion] happened, I wanted to be here. To have an opportunity to be here from the beginning and be a part of the growth of this team in the coming years…it’s an incredible situation.”
