CINCINNATI — As FC Cincinnati battles it out in the 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs, the Orange and Blue are also raking in MLS honors.
Cincinnati native Nick Hagglund has been awarded the 2025 MLS Comeback Player of the Year.
Hagglund received the honor by earning nearly 35% of the vote among all nominated players for the award. The award is Hagglund's first major individual MLS honor, as well as FC Cincinnati's first player in club history to be awarded Comeback Player of the Year.
Throughout the 2025 season, Hagglund has been bouncing back from a severe leg injury he sustained in June 2024. During a match against the New England Revolution, Hagglund slid to tackle an opposing player and fractured his fibula, tore several ligaments and tendons and significantly damaged cartilage in his ankle.
Hagglund underwent surgery in July 2024 and began a more than 250-day recovery process. The injury marked his third season-ending injury in the prior four seasons.
The defender returned to the pitch after the leg injury on March 22 against Atlanta United FC. He made 10 appearances for FCC before suffering another injury — two fractured ribs and a collapsed lung on May 25.
Those injuries sidelined Hagglund again until he returned to the pitch in August, where he has made seven starts in eight appearances.
Hagglund is the only player with FC Cincinnati to have spent all seven MLS seasons with the club. He's made 17 MLS appearances this season, four of which were clean sheet performances.
With Hagglund's help on the backline, Cincinnati produced a 10-4-3 record when he played, which included FCC's five-game winning streak from March 29 to April 26.
FC Cincinnati continues its postseason journey with Match 2 against the Columbus Crew in the Round One Best-of-3 Series on Sunday, Nov. 2. The Orange and Blue won Match 1 over the Crew at TQL Stadium.
