With the one-time consensus No. 1 draft pick suddenly available, the Portland Timbers wasted little time making Darlington Nagbe the second overall selection. Nagbe is the reigning Hermann Award winner and scored 19 goals and had 19 assists during his three years at Akron, which won the school's first-ever national championship last year.
2011 MLS Draft: Portland Timbers Select Darlington Nagbe With Second Overall Pick
Nagbe will likely be allowed to compete for a starting spot right away, alongside Kenny Cooper. Nagbe will have a fair amount of competition for that spot, though, as the Timbers already have Bright Dike and Eddie Johnson, two players who showed well in USSF-Division 2 last season.
Up until a few days ago, Nagbe was believed to be the clear No. 1 pick. But he skipped the MLS Combine and rumors had begun to circulate that he did not want to play in Canada.
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