Sporting Kansas City signed defender Nicolas Hasler in April 2019. He has made more than 200 club appearances since turning professional in 2009, including 39 MLS matches split between Toronto FC from 2017-2018 and the Chicago Fire from 2018-2019. The versatile player spent the first eight years of his career in his native Liechtenstein, where he starred for FC Vaduz and won six major trophies with the club.
As one of the country’s most decorated players this decade, Hasler has scored three goals in 67 caps for the Liechtenstein Men’s National Team since 2010 and was named Liechtensteiner Footballer of the Year in 2015, 2017 and 2018.
2019: Started one of three MLS appearances for the Chicago Fire (73 minutes played) before joining Sporting on April 2. MLS regular season (Sporting KC): Started seven of nine appearances, recorded one assist and contributed to one shutout (635 minutes played). Made his club debut with a start in a 1-1 draw at FC Cincinnati on April 7. Assisted Johnny Russell's opening goal in a 3-2 victory over Seattle Sounders FC on May 26. Concacaf Champions League: Did not feature. Open Cup: Did not feature.
PROFESSIONAL
After rising through the youth ranks and kickstarting his professional career with FC Balzers in 2009, Hasler joined fellow Liechtensteiner club USV Eschen/Mauren for the 2010-11 season. Standout performances with his first two teams prompted his move to FC Vaduz, a club based in the Liechtensteiner capital of Vaduz that competes in the Swiss Football League.
Hasler garnered Liechtensteiner Young Player of the Year accolades in 2011 and 2012, becoming a regular starter for Vaduz and helping the side gain promotion to the top-flight Swiss Super League after scoring seven goals in 37 games during the 2013-14 campaign. In a successful six-year spell with Vaduz, Hasler appeared in five separate editions of the UEFA Europa League, won five consecutive Liechtensteiner Cups from 2013-2017 and scored 15 goals in 158 competitive matches.
More trophies awaited Hasler in his first MLS stint with Toronto FC. He scored three goals for the Reds in his first MLS season, helping Toronto to a historic treble consisting of the Canadian Championship title, MLS Supporters’ Shield and MLS Cup. He tallied three assists in 14 MLS matches for the Canadian side in 2018, also logging five appearances in the 2018 Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League as Toronto fell to Guadalajara on penalty kicks in the finals.
Hasler was traded from Toronto to the Chicago Fire in July 2018, where he started eight of 10 MLS matches to end the season. He played in Chicago’s first three league games of 2019 before arriving in Kansas City.
INTERNATIONAL (67 caps, 3 goals)
Hasler has been an integral member of Liechtenstein’s national team since debuting for the senior side in 2010. He represented the country at the U-19 through U-21 levels—competing in qualifiers for the 2010 UEFA European U-19 Championship and the 2011 UEFA European U-20 Championship—while also cementing a spot with the senior team by age 20. He appeared seven times each in qualifying for the UEFA Euro 2012 and 2016 tournaments and totaled 17 starts in qualifiers for the 2014 and 2018 FIFA World Cups.
Born and raised in Vaduz, Hasler opened his Liechtenstein scoring account in a 2014 World Cup qualifier against Bosnia and Herzegovina in October 2013. He bagged his second goal in a friendly versus Finland in 2017 before adding a third in November 2018 in a UEFA Nations League draw with Armenia. 2019: Started in 10 UEFA Euro 2020 qualifiers, notably assisting the late equalizer in a 1-1 draw at Greece on Sept. 8.