FC Cincinnati defender Nick Hagglund will miss the rest of the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs with a hamstring injury, the club announced on Friday.
_The Cincinnati Inquirer_ reported midweek the center back would be out for the year, which the club subsequently confirmed by posting Hagglund's personal Instagram announcement to their official Twitter account.
"Absolutely gutted to not play a part in our Cup run...I can't begin to explain the emotions that ran through my head as I felt my hammy go out at training," Hagglund wrote on Instagram. "If there is one thing I have learned from being a professional soccer player it is: The journey is most certainly never linear. The road to recovery starts now. Already itching to wear the badge again for you all."
Head coach Pat Noonan told reporters Hagglund had suffered a midweek injury in the leadup to Sunday's 3-0 Game 1 win over the New York Red Bulls in the Round One Best-of-3 series.
Hagglund has been with Cincinnati since their inaugural season in MLS, joining via trade from Toronto FC in 2019 after five seasons with the Reds, which included a historic treble in 2017 (MLS Cup, Supporters' Shield and Canadian Championship).
A hometown talent who played high school and college soccer in the Cincinnati area, Hagglund's seen the highest highs (2023 Supporters' Shield) and lowest lows (three straight Wooden spoons from 2019-21) with the Orange & Blue. The 30-year-old signed a contract extension at the start of 2023 and made 27 appearances for 2,158 minutes this season.
Noonan turned to 2022 MLS SuperDraft pick Ian Murphy in Hagglund's Game 1 absence on Sunday. The 23-year-old has been a reliable rotation piece since joining the club, amassing nearly 3,000 minutes in two seasons.
Cincinnati will look to book their ticket to the Eastern Conference Semifinals in Game 2 at the Red Bulls on Saturday (7 pm ET | MLS Season Pass).
