.jpg) Higgins in 2022 withFC Edmonton | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Nyal Christian-Anthony Higgins | ||
| Date of birth | (1998-01-19)January 19, 1998 (age 27) | ||
| Place of birth | Ajax, Ontario, Canada | ||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Centre-back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | York United FC | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Ajax SC | |||
| Vaughan SC | |||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2016–2018 | Oakland Golden Grizzlies | 49 | (4) |
| 2019 | Syracuse Orange | 19 | (1) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2016 | Vaughan Azzurri | 5 | (0) |
| 2017 | Michigan Bucks | 8 | (0) |
| 2018 | Vaughan Azzurri | 3 | (0) |
| 2020–2021 | Toronto FC II | 9 | (0) |
| 2020 | →Nyköpings BIS (loan) | 17 | (1) |
| 2021 | →Atlético Ottawa (loan) | 8 | (0) |
| 2022 | FC Edmonton | 24 | (0) |
| 2023 | Vaughan Azzurri | 18 | (0) |
| 2024– | York United FC | 16 | (1) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of October 27, 2023 | |||
Nyal Christian-Anthony Higgins (born January 19, 1998) is a Canadian professionalsoccer player who plays forYork United FC in theCanadian Premier League.
In 2016, he attendedOakland University, playing for theGolden 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 toSyracuse University to play for theSyracuse Orange soccer team.[2]
During the 2016 and 2018 seasons, he played withVaughan Azzurri inLeague1 Ontario.[3] In 2017, he played with theMichigan Bucks in thePremier Development League.[4] In 2018, he trained with threeMajor League Soccer clubs -Sporting Kansas City,Columbus Crew SC, andNashville SC.[5] He later trained withToronto FC in 2019.[6]
He was selected 19th overall byToronto FC in the2020 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-teamToronto FC II.[9] He was soon after sent on loan toNyköpings BIS in theSwedish third tier, following TFC II's withdrawal from the2020 USL League One season due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[10] He scored his first goal on November 21, in a 7-1 defeat toIF Brommapojkarna.[11] He made his debut for Toronto FC II on May 22, 2021 againstNorth Texas SC.[12]
In August 2021, Higgins joinedCanadian Premier League sideAtlético Ottawa on loan.[13][14] He made his debut in a substitute appearance, on August 25, againstForge FC.[15]
In February 2022, he signed a contract withFC 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 withYork United FC in theCanadian Premier League.[19][20] He scored his first CPL goal on September 6, 2024, in a 1-0 victory overVancouver FC.[21][22] At the end of the 2024 season, the club picked up his option for 2025.[23]
He was a member of the U-18 and U-20 Canada national team talent pools.[24]
| Club | Season | League | Playoffs | Domestic Cup | League Cup | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Vaughan Azzurri[26] | 2016 | League1 Ontario | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | ? | 0 | 5 | 0 | |
| Michigan Bucks[27] | 2017 | PDL | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 9 | 0 | |
| Vaughan Azzurri[28] | 2018 | League1 Ontario | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| Toronto FC II | 2021 | USL League One | 9 | 0 | — | — | — | 9 | 0 | |||
| Nyköpings BIS (loan) | 2020 | Ettan Norra | 17 | 1 | — | 2 | 0 | — | 19 | 1 | ||
| Atlético Ottawa (loan) | 2021 | Canadian Premier League | 8 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 8 | 0 | ||
| FC Edmonton | 2022 | Canadian Premier League | 24 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | — | 25 | 0 | ||
| Vaughan Azzurri | 2023[17] | League1 Ontario | 18 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 21 | 0 | |
| York United FC | 2024 | Canadian Premier League | 16 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 19 | 0 | |
| Career total | 108 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 118 | 1 | ||