Finding professional footing in Sweden

Finding professional footing in Sweden
by Zev Taublieb
July 4, 2018
It will either be Sweden, England, Russia or Croatia in the World Cup Final. 
 
Never in World Cup history have the groups been so one-sided in terms of the "favorite teams" and the "dark horses" on each side of the bracket.
 
I moved to Sweden 5 months ago to play in the Supereettan (the second division in Sweden) for Varberg Bois. 
 
For those of you who don't know a lot about Swedish culture, the people here are known for their quiet nature. They are a humble people who make a point to never draw attention to themselves. 
 
However, their ongoing run in the World Cup and the best summer Sweden has seen in the last 100 years is helping the people lighten up.
 
After finishing at the top of Group F with the likes of World Cup champions Germany (who had a disastrous World Cup finishing last) and having just beaten Switzerland in the quarter-finals the country is in dreamland. 
 
Everyone is talking about the success of the Swedish team and as an outgoing American, I am starting to feel more a bit more at home. 
 
When walking in the streets everyone is wearing the golden yellow of the Swedish jersey and cannot wait to tell you how Sweden might have a chance to do the impossible.
 
Varberg (pronounced Varber, the g is silent) is a small town of 27,000 people on the southern coast of Sweden, one hour south of Gothenburg. In the summertime, the population grows to 50,000 plus. The summer houses that are not occupied during the winter become filled with families looking to enjoy the famous beaches of Varberg.  Varberg is most famous for being the kite surfing and windsurfing capital of Sweden, with the largest surf store in northern Europe. 
 
In addition to loads of kite and windsurfers at the beach, this small town has a well-supported soccer team.  Varberg Bois has been in the second highest division for the last 5 years. The stadium can fill up to 5,000 people and often does so on derby days.
 
I have spent my entire time here thus far trying to figure out how to best compare the culture of Sweden along with style of soccer to the United States. 

This is what I have come up with thus far:
 
First, of all when you explain to Swedes that there is no promotion or relegation in the United States they don't understand why we would even bother having a league. 
 
Ironically when it comes to sports the Swedes take a capitalist approach similar to how the United States social system works. It is a dog eat dog world and it is about the survival of the fittest. 
 
However, when it comes to life the Swedish government lean more on the socialist aspect of things and want everyone to have equal opportunity. They provide health care for everyone, paternal leave for both parents, and students who are in high school are even paid 1500 krona a month ($169) so they don't have to work quite as much and can focus on their studies.
 
Second, the way clubs are financially supported here is different from the states. There is sometimes a majority owner who says owns 49% of the club, but always the community owns the larger percentage. The club is paid for by the taxes the town chooses to give to the club each year. This often helps a club continue to exist if a team is relegated. This also means that as a player your is truly are the fans.
 
Most of the fans at Varberg Bois are from an older generation who grew up in Varberg and even played for the club 30-40 years ago. When I initially signed we had a meeting in the nicest hotel in town where all the season ticket holders (mostly older gentlemen) were invited to see what their tax money had bought them. They interviewed all of us to try and see where we stood mentally and if their tax money had gone to the right places. 

It felt very similar to the scene in Hunger Games when all contestants are brought before the judges of the competition and are asked to perform a skill of their choosing. 
 
While that may sound intense, this is the reason myself along with almost every other American dreaming to play professional soccer wants to play in Europe. The passion that the fans here are immense. The club is more to them than just entertainment on the weekend. Their daily lives are dictated by whether or not we are doing well or not doing well. After the meeting, I felt like I was playing for a top European club like Chelsea or Manchester United! 
 
Another major difference here, are all the fields are pristine. The grass pitches are beautiful everywhere we go and when we do play on the occasional turf field it is soccer specific. The fields here tend to be bigger than those I played in the United States which I believe encourages a more of a passing style. It is difficult to high press during a whole game when the field is so big. There are a number of fields in America that are half soccer and half baseball fields. We would always be told press based on when the ball was near the lines that separated the baseball mound from the soccer pitch. 
 
The big question I have struggled with is how is the soccer style different from that of the U.S?
 
Over my four years of playing professionally in the United States, Israel and now Sweden I have learned that the style of play you will experience always comes down to the coach. 
 
Before I came here I was told that the league would not quite as athletic, but much more sophisticated in terms of tactical awareness. However, I have found that while in some games this is true other games it is not. The players here are also to incredibly athletic and in certain games, I feel like I am playing a volleyball match more than a soccer match.
 
I find it hard to believe that any player in the USL could not play in Superettan and that any player in Superettan could not play in the USL. I will say as I mentioned before that it will come down to coach and the style of play they plan to implement with their team.
 
Recently along with myself, USL standouts Darwin Jones (Seattle Sounders, Tampa Bay Rowdies and Sean Akoli (Seattle Sounders, DC United, and New York City FC, and former USL top goal scorer with FC Cincinnati) signed in the Superettan. 
 
Given the lack of Americans playing at this level, there is just not enough data to say how the two leagues compare, Perhaps with players like myself, Darwin, and Sean playing aborad a bridge will be created between the two leagues, further expanding the recruiting radar.  
 
In the meantime we are off for the following week in order to best enjoy the World Cup and continue cheering on Sweden!
 
To hear more from Zev Taublieb and even contact him directly check out his website Znextstep.com. Znextstep is a mentoring services helping soccer moms and soccer dads alike navigate the complicated soccer youth system helping their kids play at the highest level possible and even reaching their dreams of playing college and even professional soccer. 
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