TORONTO – With the summer grind winding down and the playoff race heating up, Toronto FC got a massive boost on Saturday with the return of defender Nick Hagglund.
Hagglund suffered a torn MCL in his left knee on May 13 against Minnesota United FC, an injury that forced him to miss eight league matches. But with August fast approaching, the 24-year old centre-back was a welcome addition to the 1-1 draw against the Rapids.
“Felt great,” said Hagglund of his return to the pitch on Wednesday after training. “Nice to get my legs back under me, get back out on the field.”
Post-match, Robin Fraser, who deputized for Greg Vanney on Saturday, assessed Hagglund's return: “I thought he did well physically, moved well. [The speed of the game] is tough when you've been off for a long time.”
Come Wednesday, Vanney concurred and explained the decision to field Hagglund in the middle of the back-three.
“We played him in the centre [because] it's a little clearer, a little less decision-making: more a straight-forward centre-back role,” explained Vanney. “We knew from a physical standpoint he wouldn't have any problem. It's more about decisions, getting sharp.”
“He did a solid job,” continued Vanney. “It's about getting used to being out on the field, with everything happening around you, seeing things early, communicate, reading, making decisions. The only way you can get that is to get out there and play.”
Getting back into the swing of things wasn’t much of a problem for Hagglund, but spending ten weeks away from the sport you love proved to be an entirely different challenge for the defender.
For his part, Hagglund, “took it one day at a time. If you break it up into little sections: first two weeks not moving your leg, next couple weeks starting to bend it; [that] helped me get over the ten-week period. If I had looked at it as being out for two and a half months, I would have made myself a little crazy.”
But thankfully, at a time that could be lonely, his teammates were there for him.
“[You're] inside the gym, the guys are out on the field. You don't feel a part of the wins and losses, you're on the outskirts,” recounted Hagglund. “But this team does a great job of including everyone. It's not just football; we're all friends, we all hang out: cracking jokes, staying in it. The team did a good job of incorporating me, texting me, making sure they knew I was a part of it still.”
Asked of the loneliness of spells on the sidelines a month earlier, the club captain, who waxed lyrical about the contributions of Hagglund at the time of his injury, said the same.
“[The Kia Training Ground] is an amazing place to come in every day and spend time; on the field and off as well,” said Michael Bradley on June 26. “Guys are in here early in the morning: breakfast, coffee, training. On a lot of days there are a good number of guys here well into the early afternoon. Nobody is rushing out.”
“Guys enjoy the time together: having lunch, watching games. We miss having the injured guys with us on the field, we miss their quality, what they give us,” continued Bradley. “But in terms of [injured guys feeling a part of it], it comes natural. We're lucky. Guys are excited to spend the day with each other.”
Back at work, the conclusion of the 2017 regular season fast approaching, Hagglund, a defender through and through, knows what needs to be done in the coming weeks: “Getting back to clean-sheets; that's important for us. We know we're going to score goals. Getting back to games with a zero on [the opponent's] side would be perfect.”
