Jurgen Klinsmann impressed with Darlington Nagbe's international debut

United States national team manager Jurgen Klinsmann has plenty of midfielders to choose from, but Portland Timbers destroyer Darlington Nagbe might just be his new preferred choice.

Nagbe received his U.S. citizenship in September, and was called up to the national team soon after, playing in a pair of World Cup qualifiers against St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago. Nagbe's play in both training and in-game has Klinsmann gushing.

"We found a player that is really good handling the ball in both directions," Klinsmann told reporters. "He is responsible defensively, to always go behind the ball and to defend, and help out. When we go forward, he knows when to pass, when to dribble, when to keep things racing forward, and also when to take some risks in a certain moment.

"He has a change of pace in one-on-one situations when he goes at defensive midfielders. He has the confidence to get past them and to get closer to the box.

"Darlington is a real nice option now going forward. He had to wait a long time, and we've been waiting for him as well, but it's a great fit and we are glad to have him on board."

While Nagbe will undoubtedly be happy with his glowing review, he can't dwell on those words for too long, as his club team will take on FC Dallas in the second leg of the MLS Western Conference Championship at Toyota Stadium on Sunday. There, Nagbe and his Timbers teammates will attempt to stave off Dallas once more, and hold on to their 3-1 aggregate lead.