TORONTO – Harry Shipp’s six goals in 21 games has him supposedly leading the pack for the 2014 Rookie of the Year title, but over in Toronto, rookie central defender Nick Hagglund has been quietly and efficiently making a case for the crown, too.
The 21-year-old out of Xavier University has made an instant impact with Toronto FC, playing in 14 matches this season. Of those 14 games, he has started in 12, and in games he starts, Toronto FC tend to pick up points, going 6-3-3 with Hagglund in the starting XI.
It’s this form, highlighted in the absence of captain Steven Caldwell and Mark Bloom in recent weeks, that has Hagglund brimming with confidence on and off the field.
“Every game he plays brings out more of his personality and a bit more experience out of him,” TFC head coach Ryan Nelsen told MLSsoccer.com. “Whatever the occasion, he loves it. The bigger the game, the better he becomes and that’s rare in young players these days, especially when they come out of collage.”
In training, Hagglund is often the loudest and most vocal, friendly with everyone and not afraid to get in front of a camera, either; his most recent foray saw him take on the ALS ice-bucket challenge before flipping the challenge over to Jermain Defoe, Steven Caldwell and Nelsen.
This begs the question; does Nelsen ever have to rein Hagglund in a bit?
“No, no, no, no, no!” Nelsen answered. “There’s confidence and there’s arrogance, and it’s pretty easy to tell between the two. He’s a confident guy, that’s going to be him even if you put him behind a desk in a regular job. But in saying that, there’s a real humility about him, a real humbleness; he always works hard, is willing to learn and he respects the older players, the more experienced players.”
His teammates agree. Soft-spoken left fullback Justin Morrow also opened up about Hagglund, saying he’s a “great kid” with an “infectious personality.”
“Nick is ambitious, very detail-oriented and he sets high standards for himself,” Morrow told MLSsoccer.com. “Usually, rookies, they come in and they’re just happy to be getting some playing time and having an effect on the team but you can tell with Nick, if he makes a mistake that maybe a veteran wouldn’t make, he gets down on himself. That shows how high the standards are on himself.”
Morrow, who has been in MLS for five years, sees a little bit of another MLS defender in Morrow, too.
“[I see] maybe a little bit of Jay DeMerit,” Morrow said, when asked if Hagglund reminded him of anyone else. “I think the first thing that’s striking about him is his athletic ability; he’s fast, he’s strong, he’s big and he can jump. He imposes his will on the game a lot so it’s fun to play with him.”
So, does Morrow think Hagglund should be the MLS Rookie of the Year?
“Yeah, for sure!” Morrow said, without hesitation. At 10th overall in the 2014 MLS SuperDraft, Nelsen has no regrets on the signing, either.
“If we had to re-do it again, we would have taken him if we had the first pick!”
