Nick Hagglund’s offseason this winter was spectacularly unspectacular. He was able to spend time with his family, go on vacation, and build out a routine that put him mentally, spiritually and physically centered as he prepared for what will be his 13th MLS season.
So compared to his previous few offseasons, this one was refreshingly normal.
“Honestly, I had a really great break, and I don't usually say that, but yeah, it was a good break,” Nick Hagglund said in a sit-down with FCCincinnati.com prior to the club's trip to Clearwater, Florida, for preseason. “I really enjoyed it. I had lots of time with the family. We went on vacation in St, Thomas, which was like a perfect vacation. There were no issues. It went right into Christmas, the chaos of Christmas. Went to winter fest, did all the Cincinnati holiday things, and ultimately just got to relax.”
The last two preseason Nick Hagglund spent more time working with physical therapists and athletic trainers than he did relaxing with his family. Thanks to (maybe rather no thanks to) a pair of injuries that ended his 2024 and 2023 seasons, the veteran Cincinnati native spent all of his “off-time” working to make sure he would miss as little time as possible the next season. Even then, when the preseason would kick off, he would still have work ahead of him to catch up.
But in 2026, that, thankfully, was no longer the case for the heartbeat of the locker room.
“It was the first time I wasn't rehabbing or coming into the training ground. Every day, I got to do my own workouts. I worked out with the people I wanted to work out with, and just really enjoyed my offseason,” Hagglund explained with an ear-to-ear grin that emitted joy like the sun does warmth. “I felt like last season, or the past two seasons, I came in, and I was going to immediately be on the side (of training).
“This offseason I got to work on things that I hadn't previously. I feel fresh. I feel strong, ready to go, and I'm ready to hit the ground running. Instead of slowly working my way into possibly getting into training, possibly getting into games, I'll be right there with the group right at the beginning – and that's exciting for me.”
Hagglund's comeback stories have been noted league-wide as the centerback was named the 2025 MLS Comeback Player of the Year for overcoming the serious leg injury that ended his 2024 season. A fractured fibula, torn ligaments and tendons, and damage to the cartilage in his ankle required surgery and a rehabilitation of over 250 days, which ended his 2024 season and paused the start of his 2025 campaign as well.
That, thankfully, is in the past. The Comeback Player of the Year award is one that, by his own joking admission, is not an award he would ever want to win again, and he is a happy, active member of preseason activities this season. Full go and without restrictions.
Hagglund has been a missing spark to preseason activities in recent years. He is not only a leader on the team, but also an emotional heartbeat and personality that others really can’t replicate. He has been part of the preseason group the past two seasons, sure, travelling to Clearwater, Florida, with the rest of the team and spending time with the group there. But his work on the training pitch was off to the side and done independently.
FC Cincinnati Head Coach Pat Noonan and Hagglund himself have talked about how, in those previous camps, having Hagglund there was really important for the team, even if he wasn’t fully healthy or ready to play minutes to start the season. But just having him there was important to what they wanted to do as a team.
This year, though, Hagglund is part of a larger story of presence and attendance early in preseason. FC Cincinnati brings back not only a very complete core of the team, but is also nearly entirely healthy. The team is likely not “complete” in the sense that nothing could or will change, but a more solid base is in place to build from right from the very start of camp. That base includes Hagglund for the first time in several years, and the value he brings to both the player and the team, in his opinion, is incredible.
“Right from the beginning, you have big games coming up with Concacaf and a congested schedule. If you don't have the group together at the beginning, you're starting to try to put the pieces together as they're happening, and you can't really work on things – you have to play things a little bit safer to try to get the best out of the group,” Hagglund explained as to the excitement he has for this FC Cincinnati preseason. “Knowing that you have a good group and a core group going into the year, you know that you can start to try and do things a little bit differently or riskier, or try some things, knowing that the group that you have is solid if you need to play safe.
“We as a group have a good foundation, and know each other well, that allows us to take that next step, and try to push the envelope.”
As year 13 kicks off for Nick Hagglund, there are still plenty of milestones and accolades to achieve for the veteran defender. For starters, team success is paramount as the Cincy native looks to bring more silverware to his home club's cabinets, but there are also personal feats to achieve.
Hagglund is set to become the club's all-time appearance leader again, even if he only replicates his injury-plagued 2025 season. He’s also looking forward to taking part in the only tournament that has eluded him throughout his illustrious career, the Concacaf Champions Cup. After all these years, the center back has never actually played in the tournament (he has been on the bench for some games, in fairness) despite being on teams that have made the tournament several times, even making a final in 2018 with Toronto FC.
But as 2026 kicks off, Nick Hagglund is excited to add that to his resume not only for himself, but also for what it would mean for his club and city.
“What I'm most excited about is playing in the Concacaf Champions Cup,” Hagglund said of the 2026 season. “I've never played a Concacaf game. I've been on the bench for a bunch of them, but I haven't actually played one. So for me, getting to be a part of one of those games in the FC Cincinnati jersey, I think I'm excited about. But for me, it's just mostly about the group pushing to the next level. I think last year, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year, we had so many moving pieces. I think now that we come into the year with a group and an identity, I think I'm excited to see how far we can push this group.”
