The Portland Timbers watched Darlington Nagbe blossom into a star attacking midfielder last season, a development that helped the club lift the MLS Cup trophy. Just three months later, the Timbers have stepped up to ensure Nagbe will stay in Portland for the foreseeable future.
Nagbe has signed a new four-year contract with the Timbers, sources confirmed to Goal USA on Wednesday. It remains unclear what his new salary is under the new deal, but the 25-year-old was on a base salary of $244,000 in 2015, which made him the sixth-highest paid player on the Timbers.
Nagbe was one of the best midfielders in MLS last year, and he truly stood out after being moved to a central midfield role in the second half of the 2015 season. Having starting his career as a forward and in more recent years a winger, he found a home as a marauding central midfield who could use his speed and technical quality to break down opposing defenses.
"Darlington really found a home in the middle last year and I think this year he's going to show that he's the best in the league in that role," Timbers coach Caleb Porter said. "He showed that last year once he made the move, and he will just keep getting better."
The Timbers kick off their 2016 season, and MLS Cup title defense on Sunday at home against the Columbus Crew in a rematch of the 2015 MLS Cup final.
