Canadian soccer player (born 1998)
Nyal Christian-Anthony Higgins (born January 19, 1998) is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays for York United FC in the Canadian Premier League .
College
In 2016, he attended Oakland University , playing for the Golden Grizzlies soccer team . As a freshman, he was named to the Horizon League All-Freshman Team and the NSCAA All-Great Lakes Regional Third Team. In his sophomore and junior seasons, he was named to the All-Horizon League Second Team.[ 1] In 2019, he transferred to Syracuse University to play for the Syracuse Orange soccer team .[ 2]
Club career
During the 2016 and 2018 seasons, he played with Vaughan Azzurri in League1 Ontario .[ 3] In 2017, he played with the Michigan Bucks in the Premier Development League .[ 4] In 2018, he trained with three Major League Soccer clubs - Sporting Kansas City , Columbus Crew SC , and Nashville SC .[ 5] He later trained with Toronto FC in 2019.[ 6]
He was selected 19th overall by Toronto FC in the 2020 MLS SuperDraft .[ 7] He attended pre-season with the club, but ultimately did not make the final roster for 2020.[ 8] In July, he signed a USL contract with the second-team Toronto FC II .[ 9] He was soon after sent on loan to Nyköpings BIS in the Swedish third tier , following TFC II's withdrawal from the 2020 USL League One season due to the COVID-19 pandemic .[ 10] He scored his first goal on November 21, in a 7-1 defeat to IF Brommapojkarna .[ 11] He made his debut for Toronto FC II on May 22, 2021 against North Texas SC .[ 12]
In August 2021, Higgins joined Canadian Premier League side Atlético Ottawa on loan.[ 13] [ 14] He made his debut in a substitute appearance, on August 25, against Forge FC .[ 15]
In February 2022, he signed a contract with FC Edmonton in the Canadian Premier League.[ 16]
In 2023, he returned to Vaughan Azzurri.[ 17] He was named a league Second Team All-Star at the end of the season.[ 18]
In April 2024, he signed a one-year contract with a club option for 2025 with York United FC in the Canadian Premier League .[ 19] [ 20] He scored his first CPL goal on September 6, 2024, in a 1-0 victory over Vancouver FC .[ 21]
International career
He was a member of the U-18 and U-20 Canada national team talent pools.[ 22]
Career statistics
As of match played on September 6, 2024 [ 23]
References
^ "Nyal Higgins" . Oakland Golden Grizzlies .
^ Haller, Steve (January 27, 2019). "Syracuse men's soccer welcomes three new additions for the spring semester" . SBNation .
^ Shealer, Sheldon (January 9, 2020). "Vaughan SC revels in Super day" . Top Drawer Soccer .
^ Ford, Harold C. (February 26, 2020). "Bucks' success continues into off season" . East Village Magazine .
^ Grasl, Zac (August 1, 2018). "In the spotlight- Nyal Higgins" . The Oakland Post .
^ Rea, Cormac (January 9, 2020). "Vaughan SC Makes History As Four League1 Players Selected In 2020 MLS SuperDraft" . League1 Ontario .
^ Singh, Michael (January 9, 2020). "Toronto FC selects Ajax-native Higgins, Achara in first round of 2020 MLS Draft" . Waking the Red .
^ "Toronto FC announces roster for first preseason camp" . Toronto FC . January 24, 2020.
^ "Toronto FC II Sign Nyal Higgins" . Toronto FC . July 2, 2020.
^ "Toronto FC II Loan Nyal Higgins to Nyköpings BIS" . Toronto FC . August 10, 2020.
^ "Tung förlust när Nyköping krossades av Brommapojkarna" [Heavy loss when Nyköping was crushed by Brommapojkarna]. Sport Bladet . November 21, 2020.
^ "North Texas SC Falls 2-1 Away to Toronto FC II" . FC Dallas . May 22, 2021.
^ "Atlético Ottawa Sign Nyal Higgins, on loan" . Atlético Ottawa . August 7, 2021. Retrieved August 7, 2021 .
^ "Toronto FC II loan Nyal Higgins to Atlético Ottawa" . Toronto FC . August 7, 2021.
^ O'Connor-Clarke, Charlie (August 25, 2021). "Pacius scores two as Forge sails past Atlético Ottawa 4-0" . Canadian Premier League .
^ "FC Edmonton adds defender Nyal Higgins" . FC Edmonton . February 25, 2022.
^ a b "Nyal Higgins 2023 L1O Stats" . League1 Ontario .
^ "MVP Tomasz Skublak leads line in star-studded XI" . League1 Ontario . November 28, 2023.
^ "York United FC announce signing of Canadian defender Nyal Higgins" . York United FC . April 12, 2024.
^ Jacques, John (April 12, 2024). "Nyal Higgins Returns To CPL, Signs With York United" . Northern Tribune .
^ Gangué-Ruzic, Alexandre (September 7, 2024). "Match Analysis: York United rides early Nyal Higgins goal to pivotal road win over Vancouver FC" . Canadian Premier League .
^ "Nyal Higgins" . Syracuse Orange .
^ Nyal Higgins at Soccerway
^ "Nyal Higgins 2016 L1O Stats" . League1 Ontario .
^ "Michigan Bucks - Nyal Higgins" . USL League Two .
^ "Nyal Higgins 2018 L1O Stats" . League1 Ontario .
External links