National Soccer
Nicholas Hagen enters the Columbus Crew’s plans for the first time
The Guatemalan goalkeeper traveled with the rest of the MLS champion’s squad for the first time. Columbus’ next match is in the Concacaf Champions Cup.
The Guatemalan goalkeeper has not been called up for two games. (Free Press Photo: Columbus Crew)
The Guatemala National Team’s starting goalkeeper entered the plans of the MLS champion, the Columbus Crew, for the first time since joining the team in December 2023.
Hagen, whose last club was Bnei Sakhnin in Israel, signed with Columbus at the end of last year and reported to training only on January 22. Since then, the Guatemalan did the job with the rest of his teammates until the time came for the start of the MLS.
So far Columbus has played two games, however, in none of them was the national goalkeeper even included in the squad. On the other hand, the United States champion kept Patrick Schulte, 22 years oldand as second goalkeeper Evan Bush, 37 years old, leaving the Guatemalan relegated as third goalkeeper.
However, the picture seems to clear up a little for Hagen, since according to a recent publication on social networks by Columbus, Nicholas was included in the squad for the match once morest the Houston Dynamo corresponding to the Concacaf Champions Cup.
Columbus will debut in the most important club competition in the region in the round of 16. His position as MLS champion allowed him not to play in the first round and wait a couple more weeks to better prepare for his debut.
Columbus’s rival to beat is the Houston Dynamo. The meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, March 6 at 7 p.m. at Shell Energy Stadium. The second leg will be played on Tuesday, March 12 at 5 p.m. at Lower.com Field.
For Hagen, Columbus is his fourth team abroad. The goalkeeper left Guatemala in 2020 as a Municipal player and signed for Sabail in Azerbaijan, then he was at Hamkam in Norway and finally at Bnei Sakhnin in Israel.
At the age of 27, Hagen has taken ownership of the goal in the Guatemalan National Team and is one of the pillars of the project led by Mexican coach Luis Fernando Tena with a view to qualifying for the 2026 World Cup to be played in the United States. Mexico and Canada.
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