ASN: Now wholesome and match, optimistic Johannsson hopes for a USMNT return

There have been instances lately when some docs believed Aron Johannsson would not be capable of play anymore and there have been instances when Johannsson shared these doubts. However with a aim of returning to the U.S. staff, Johannsson pushed ahead and is now taking part in nice soccer for Hammarby. ASN’s Brian Sciaretta spoke with Johannsson on his powerful previous with accidents and the formidable objectives he nonetheless has.

BY

Brian Sciaretta

Posted
September 22, 2020
6:30 PM

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FOR MANY STRIKERS, one of the best a part of taking part in that place comes throughout instances when objectives are available waves. Being streaky comes with the territory and Aron Johannsson is aware of this in addition to anybody. Throughout his profession, he has gone via instances when objectives have come at an unimaginable price, the latest instance of this being this previous month for Hammarby when he scored six objectives in seven Allsvenskan video games.

However when requested about his takeaways from his present goal-scoring run, Johannsson is fast to level out that the objectives should not essentially the most satisfying half.

For him, one of the best half is solely taking part in, staying wholesome, and being able to play the following recreation,

“The biggest achievement is playing and getting into match-fitness,” Johannsson advised ASN from Sweden. “It’s probably been four, five or six years since I played three games in a row without limping off with an injury. It’s always difficult because I went through periods when I had long-term injuries. Then when you come back, it kind of happens that you get new injuries. We had a long preseason this year and I’ve managed to keep my body healthy now for a couple of months. My body has been through some transitions from having long-term injuries. Some doctors thought that maybe I could never play again – at least at a professional level.”

“If I don’t even talk about the goals, just being able to play week-in, week-out with no problems just feels amazing,” he added. “I had a stretch where I played four games in 10 days. That’s about as much as I’ve played the last four years or something [laughs].”

Johannsson! Hammarby återtar ledningen pic.twitter.com/nMJcXeYbJj

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Johannsson’s profession was taking off in 2013 when he made his announcement that he was going to file his one-time change with FIFA to go away Iceland’s nationwide staff setup and characterize the US, the place he was born whereas his Icelandic mother and father had been finding out in Cellular, Alabama.

He had dominated the Danish Superliga (the place he nonetheless has the file for the league’s fastest-ever hat trick) after which moved to the Eredivisie the place he noticed his success proceed with AZ Alkmaar – scoring 38 objectives in 84 video games for the Dutch membership. That transfer put him on the US World Cup staff in 2014 and earned him a switch to the Bundesliga with Werder Bremen.

However his profession at Werder by no means took off merely due to a sequence of accidents which restricted to 947 Bundesliga minutes from 2015-2019. The transfer Hammarby in 2019 additionally noticed him proceed to cope with accidents. It wasn’t till 2020 that issues lastly started to development upward for Johannsson once more.

Jóhannsson! Hammarby har vänt på Tele 2 pic.twitter.com/SulphGMWQC

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“When I came from Germany to Hammarby with my ankle, it was pretty hard to adapt,” Johannsson mentioned of taking part in in Sweden. “Here we play and train on turf. The ground is so hard. In the end, I wanted to come here to get back going and to play games. I wanted to be happy again. I can feel it now, it’s coming back. The last few months have been the first time in a long time I’ve been 100%.”

In two months, Johannsson will likely be celebrating his thirtieth birthday and at a time when some gamers are winding down, he’s upbeat and longing for making up for misplaced time (“I look like I’m 22!” – he jokes about his upcoming birthday). At the moment in his profession he stays extraordinarily formidable on and off the sphere.

Off the sphere, considered one of his objectives is acquiring a level. For the primary time since he was a youngster, he’s enrolled in class at College School of Northern Denmark (UCN) the place he’s taking on-line programs to get a level in sports activities administration. He insists that after his taking part in profession is over, he needs to stay concerned within the sport.

On the sphere, there may be nonetheless loads he hopes to perform. On the membership facet, he’s hoping that his profession takes him again to the US as he’s very within the progress and enchancment of MLS.

“I’ve always said I wanted to play in MLS,” Johannsson mentioned. “Maybe we will see in the next few years if I can get that opportunity.”

However the largest aim is to return to the US nationwide staff. It has been a aim that has pushed him to get via the hardest intervals he confronted when he was sidelined and struggling to get again on the sphere.

The final time he performed for the nationwide staff was on the 2015 Gold Cup however he was known as up by Jurgen Klinsmann in 2016 at the beginning of the Hexagonal and went as an unused substitute.

“It’s been a long time since I played for the U.S. team,” Johannsson mentioned. “The last time I was selected was 2018 and that was under Dave [Sarachan]. I couldn’t go because of injuries. It’s just been very frustrating because I know I have the qualities to help the team. One of the reasons why I didn’t give up is because I feel I am still good enough to play for the national team and that is 100% my goal – to come back play for the national team.”

The U.S. staff was going via powerful instances the final time Johannsson was concerned. The 2015 Gold Cup was a failure the place the U.S. stumbled to a fourth place end and the following Hexagonal noticed the staff swtich managers after a poor begin and fail to qualify for the World Cup.

Since then, the U.S. has clearly shifted strategy with a promising younger core of gamers. Johannsson is bullish on Sargent, his former teammate at Werder Bremen, and he’s additionally excited to see Weston McKennie play for Juventus, Gio Reyna make massive strides at Borussia Dortmund, and Christian Pulisic thrive at Chelsea.

Ought to Johannsson return to the staff, he believes he can play a job on a really younger staff that’s a lot completely different than when he final performed for it – though he admits he’s but to listen to from Gregg Berhalter since he joined Hammarby. 

“When I was there, the best player was probably Dempsey and he was at Fulham,” Johannsson defined. “Now it is the complete opposite and we have a lot of amazing talent. Obviously, it’s a dream of mine to come into the team again and I believe I am still good enough. Now we have players at Barcelona and Chelsea and Juventus. These are the biggest clubs in the world. But I have to focus on myself and I have to keep delivering. Hopefully, soon I will be back in the mix.”

Whereas the Allsvenskan is just not an elite European league just like the Premier League or the Bundesliga, Johannsson is at present on this league not as a result of he lacks the expertise to play in a high league, however just because he struggled with accidents over span of a number of years throughout his prime ages

He stays assured that nice days lie forward for him and that he’s optimistic he can ship for the U.S. staff, Hammarby, and any membership he finds him taking part in for within the coming years.

“Obviously, it has taken a lot of hard work and a lot of difficult days,” Johannsson mentioned. “There were many days when I doubted that I would continue playing. It’s been very rough but all that being said, playing now week-in, week-out is amazing. I always said to everyone that when I am healthy and when I am match-fit, I will deliver. That is just showing now. I am fit and I am scoring.”