Who is Nicholas Hagen? Columbus Crew goalie is already 'a star' among Guatemalan fanbase
Wilfried Nancy knew a lot about goalkeeper Nicholas Hagen when the Crew signed the 27-year-old as a free agent during the offseason. Nancy was aware that Hagen had experience with Guatemala's national team and respected his ability to make quick stops thanks to his agility.
Given that, Nancy believed Hagen could be a solid option for when Columbus starter Patrick Schulte was unavailable. What Nancy failed to realize is that the new addition was "famous."
"He’s the number one in Guatemala, and I’m not joking, he’s a star in Guatemala," Nancy said. "Every game, every city that we go to, there is a lot of people from Guatemala who come to get pictures and signatures (from Hagen).”
A Guatemala City native, Hagen joined the Guatemalan senior national team in 2018. In his first season playing in MLS, the support from that team's fanbase has followed Hagen, and subsequently the Crew.
Hagen often looks into the crowd during a road game and quickly spots a Guatemalan flag, despite the fact he has only appeared in one game for Columbus as an emergency substitution for an injured Evan Bush.
On April 14, Hagen saw his first playing time for the Crew when Bush broke his arm on the road against Real Salt Lake. Hagen was in goal for 55 minutes and recorded five saves to hold Salt Lake scoreless, but it was the crowd that was most memorable for him.
"I remember seeing people have the Salt Lake shirt on, and when I came in, they took it off and have the Guatemalan shirt on," Hagen said. "So, it’s not that I’m famous, but I think we’re doing something good for the country, and the country feeling well represented. So, I’m going to try to keep doing what I’m doing, and hopefully making them happy."
'This is my chance, this is my opportunity': Wilfried Nancy puts trust in Nicolas Hagen during Patrick Schulte's absence
With Schulte officially away on international duty, playing for the United States men's national team at the Paris Olympics, and Bush still recovering after rebreaking his arm, Hagen knows this is his biggest opportunity to prove he's worth the hype.
Hagen will be backed up Wednesday by Cole Johnson from Crew 2, who signed a four-day contract to play with the first team.
That's not to say that Hagen is merely the winner of a war of attrition. When he starts during Schulte's absence, a stretch that will include the opening two rounds of Leagues Cup, he will do so with Nancy's full trust.
"Yes, I want him to do a good game, but if he doesn’t have a good game, next game’s going to be good," Nancy said. "The idea is to give him confidence. Every player that we have, it is because we believe they have something to help us to have a good performance. So, Nico is Nico ... I’m confident with him.”
Schulte was in net for the 15 games between the Salt Lake matchup and Hagen's start Wednesday against Charlotte, but Nancy said they had hoped to give Hagen more games. That plan changed because the Crew wanted Schulte to continue building a strong resume ahead of the Olympic team selection. Bush's setback also convinced Nancy to keep Hagen sidelined.
Nancy didn't want to risk another injury, and Hagen had already demonstrated to Nancy what he could do.
The 55 minutes in Salt Lake gave Hagen the chance to "show what I got, show what I’ve been working on, and show why I’m here." However, what has been more impactful for Hagen in preparing for these mid-summer games has been the training, where he has learned Nancy's playing style, and proved himself to Nancy as ready for this opportunity.
"I’ve been fighting since day one that I got here," Hagen said. "This is my chance, this is my opportunity, I have to take the most out of it. And having that backup (from Nancy), to say like that, it means a lot to me. It means that I’ve been noticed in training, I’ve been doing the right thing and I’m on the right path."
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: From Guatemala national team to Columbus Crew: Who is Nicholas Hagen?
