Nagbe made his international debut in November 2015, appearing for the United States in a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying match.

Nagbe was born in Liberia and left the country as a five-month-old when his mother fled due to the First Liberian Civil War, taking him and his brother with her.

[2] They joined her husband Joe Nagbe, a professional soccer player, and his career took the family to France, Greece, and Switzerland before they eventually settled in the Cleveland area in 2001 when Darlington was 11 years old.

Nagbe played college soccer at the University of Akron, scoring 19 goals and contributing 19 assists in 73 matches during three collegiate seasons.

[9][10] After missing the first couple of weeks of the season due to hernia surgery, Nagbe made his professional debut on April 2, 2011, in a 1–1 draw against the New England Revolution.

[24][25] Nagbe was a part of Portland's MLS Cup campaign in 2015, a year where he shifted from the wings to a more central role within the team during the season and started all but one game that season, while also receiving the Fair Play Award for the second time in his career, committing only 11 fouls and receiving no bookings.

[28] Nagbe was injured after a hard tackle from Nigel de Jong on April 11, during a game against the LA Galaxy.

[34] On December 13, 2017, Atlanta United FC finalized a trade to acquire Nagbe for $1.05 million in allocation money, with a potential addition of another $600,000 dependent on performance bonuses.

[36] In his first season in Atlanta, Nagbe made 17 straight starting appearances before missing nearly three months due to an adductor strain suffered on June 24, 2018, against the Portland Timbers.

On November 13, 2019, the Columbus Crew acquired Nagbe in exchange for $1.05 million in total allocation money, as well as an international roster spot.

[47] After leading the Crew through the regular season and playoffs, he would miss the MLS Cup Final due to testing positive for COVID-19.

[56] At the end of the 2023 regular season, Nagbe was re-signed by Columbus to a contract extension through the 2025 campaign, with an option for another year.

[57] Nagbe obtained American citizenship[58] in September 2015, and shortly after, he was included in the U.S. National Team roster on November 6, 2015, for two 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches against St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago.

[60] Nagbe scored his first goal for the U.S. National Team on May 25, 2016, in the 90th minute to secure a 1–0 victory in a friendly match against Ecuador.

The captain of Columbus is a humble soul and an outstanding football player.” Deployed as either a winger or an attacking midfielder at Akron and early in his pro career in Portland, Nagbe moved to a "withdrawn, box-to-box role" in the middle of the 2015 season[65] and then further settled into a deeper role later in his career.

[66][67][68] A calming influence in the midfield, Nagbe is cited as being a player with superb technical ability and high soccer IQ, with former coach Frank De Boer describing him as "the cement between the bricks.

[79] Nagbe received his U.S. green card in 2012, thus making him a domestic player for MLS roster purposes,[2][80] and became a United States citizen in September 2015.