December 6, 2024...Nyal Higgins extends stay with The Nine Stripes (from York United FC website)

Nyal Higgins extends stay with The Nine Stripes
The centre-back enjoyed a superb season, having played himself into the side in the second half of the campaign.

THE NYAL HIGH CLUB

York United FC is thrilled to announce the return of centre-back Nyal Higgins for the 2025 season.

The club has triggered their contract option and the 26-year-old will be back with The Nine Stripes for a second campaign after becoming a mainstay of the team during the second half of last term.

Higgins, a native of Ajax, Ont, made 18 appearances overall and enjoyed his best football when the club were grinding hard for a playoff spot. From the final 11 games, Higgins started 10 of them and was a powerful and reliable force at the back. During that run of action, he even popped up with a crucial game-winner in the 1-0 victory at Vancouver FC - his only goal of the season.

From the side's seven clean sheets for the season, Higgins started five of those fixtures.

"I'm excited to be back and we're gonna keep pushing because we have a lot of belief in what we can achieve together," Higgins says.

"We showed plenty of solidarity last season and we believed in ourselves. There was a special spirit and it contributed to us experiencing some nice moments. The focus is on continuing to work hard and keeping that foundation in place. That's the message for 2025. Our best performances and most memorable days came when everyone was dialled in. There's a team-first mentality here, a togetherness. And I know it will lead to a big year for us."

GOING THE EXTRA NYAL

Higgins started out with his local side Ajax SC and also turned out for Vaughan SC. He played NCAA with Oakland University and later Syracuse. Higgins was part of the MLS SuperDraft in 2020 and was selected 19th overall by Toronto FC. Later that year, having made a handful of appearances for TFC II in the United Soccer League, Higgins was loaned to Swedish club Nyköpings BIS and enjoyed an excellent campaign there, making 18 appearances in all competitions.

In 2021, Higgins made his first foray in the Canadian Premier League and signed a loan deal with Atletico Ottawa. He made eight appearances in total before moving to FC Edmonton the following season. He enjoyed plenty of game time with the Eddies: from his 24 games, he managed 90 minutes in all but two. Prior to signing for York United FC, Higgins featured regularly for League1 Ontario side Vaughan Azzurri.

"We're extremely happy that Nyal is returning," says Ricardo Pasquel, President of York United FC.

"He arrived during pre-season and worked tirelessly to get a contract. He was determined and spirited and thoroughly deserved to be part of the 2024 roster. And what a role he played in our season. There was a stretch when he didn't feature very much and then his first game back was a clean sheet against Forge. A couple of weeks later, there was a game-winning goal and another clean sheet in Vancouver. And that's how he finished his season: consistent, composed and extremely reliable. Those are crucial attributes and Nyal will be a big asset to us again next season."

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