# @ussoccerplus on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DAcr6YwpwJ2
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/23673304-ussoccerplus-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/thumbnails/6b4c4fd9c1.jpg
- **Posted:** 2024-09-28T04:57:08.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** 𝐔𝐒 𝐒𝐨𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐥𝐮𝐬 (@ussoccerplus) — https://gondola.cc/ussoccerplus

## Caption

Former USMNT player Darlington Nagbe was born during the brutal Liberian civil war. His mom couldn’t go to a hospital because of the war so he was born in a house of a former hospital worker.

At 11, he moved to the U.S. with his mother and brother.

Today, he’s in the White House, meeting President Joe Biden 🙌🏾

Nagbe’s childhood was a roller coaster.

His mom took him out of Liberia at five months old, and they followed his father, Joe Nagbe, who was also a professional soccer player.

They lived in France, Switzerland, and Greece as his father played for clubs in those countries.

Finally, in 2001, his mother took him and his brother and moved to the Cleveland area in Ohio.

She was tired of constantly moving when Joe Nagbe changed clubs. She wanted a settled life for Nagbe and his brother.

Nagbe’s talent was spotted early on. Like father, like son.

After playing brilliantly in high school, Nagbe would go on to play in college, and turn professional in MLS by 20 with Portland Timbers.

He also got his first USMNT call-up by 2015, and won the Gold Cup in 2017 with the team.

But after playing 25 games, he walked away from the USMNT in 2018.

The reason he walked away is because he wanted to spend more time with his family. 

He didn’t want to be like his father, who couldn’t be there much for the family due to the busy professional soccer career.

Constantly traveling for games in MLS was enough, Nagbe didn’t want to leave his family to travel for national team games either.

He then moved back to Ohio in 2020, signing with Columbus Crew.

Now captain of the team, Nagbe has won two MLS Cups with them in four seasons.

Today, he was in the front and center of Crew’s visit to the White House, and handed a jersey to Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff.

His journey to the top wasn’t easy, there have been struggles the minute he was born.

Despite the challenges, Nagbe has built a great life for himself. 👏🏾

[Via Anthony Kyaw] 

#darlingtonnagbe #usmnt #ussoccer #liberia #usa

## Stats

- **Views:** 0
- **Likes:** 493
- **Shares:** 0
- **Comments:** 15

## Tags

usa, darlingtonnagbe, liberia, ussoccer, usmnt

---
Copyright (c) Gondola