VANCOUVER, B.C. - The San Jose Earthquakes have undergone a culture change as they look to challenge in a competitive MLS western conference. San Jose signed Swedish manager Mikael Stahre, on November 24, 2017 from Allsvenskan side BK Häcken. Not only did he bring over his intriguing tactics, but he also brought in two players from Sweden.
Magnus Eriksson and Joel Qwiberg both joined the Earthquakes in December. Eriksson as a striker who occasionally plays in the midfield, and Qwiberg is a left-back with pace.
"I always had a dream to come here." Eriksson told RedNation Online. "I always had a great feeling about the country and football played here. One of the reasons that I really wanted to come here was to try it out. I've been here for a couple of training camps, and I really enjoyed the time when I spent here. That's one of the biggest reasons. You can really succeed, if you're happy outside the field. I love it so far."
Born in Bogota, Colombia, Qwiberg has a bit of a different background. He was adopted as a baby by a young Swedish family. Moving to Major League Soccer has given him an opportunity to learn spanish, experience latin culture, and be closer to Colombia.
"That was one factor of course." Qwiberg explained. "I know that there's a lot of South American players here. It was not the biggest reason. The biggest reason was, I really believed this was the best place for me to develop."
Eriksson who grew up 15 minutes from Sweden's Friends Arena in Stockholm's suburb of Solna, has started every match for San Jose this season. He's already contributed with 3 goals and 3 assists.
You might just call him a Svenska fox in the box with a penchant for poaching goals.
"In the beginning of my career, I only played striker." Eriksson said, as he described his style of play. "To play in the midfield like I did the last two or three years, has been a big change. I would say my speciality is probably on the offensive side of the field. I try to combine with my teammates, give them good passes, and try to score some good goals."
The 2-6-3 San Jose Earthquakes are preparing for their biggest rival as they travel to take on the LA Galaxy minus fellow Swede, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, on Friday, May 25 at the StubHub Center. It's been a slow start for San Jose, but they are flying under the radar, building momentum, and hoping to surprise a lot of teams this season.
"Yes of course," Qwiberg agreed. "We have so many new players, and a new coach. We haven't been working together for such a long time. I definitely think it's more to come. We're only going to get better before every game we play."
Qwiberg is still looking to make his mark with the Earthquakes. Coach Stahre hasn't called his number often enough. Qwiberg made his MLS debut and only appearance on April 7, when he started against Philadelphia.
"I'm a hard-working full-back, that likes to play as a wing-back." Qwiberg revealed. "I feel most comfortable with that. (I'm) hard working, and I think I'm quite fast."
The former IF Brommapojkarna product isn't the only fast paced Swedish import with the Earthquakes. Eriksson has speed burners in his locker, but only on skates. At a young age he faced a tough decision... play hockey, the sport he excelled at, or pick his passion.
"It was in my youth days, I'm pretty old, I'm twenty-eight now (laughs). Football has been number one for me. It was an easy decision.
I was better at hockey actually. I was centre at the time. Football has always been number one for me, so it was not a hard decision to take."
Eriksson and Qwiberg have been to a couple of San Jose Sharks games while they enjoy everything San Jose has to offer. They admit that they aren't big golf players yet, but it's a work in progress. What they do enjoy, and almost every Swedish person does, is fika.
Taking a break and enjoying a nice relaxing afternoon with a warm beverage and perhaps a treat is a way of life in Sweden. What kind of go to fika do they enjoy?
"They mostly have this kind of Starbucks everywhere." Eriksson said, as he looked across at a Starbucks in the hotel lobby. "(It's) a cappuccino mostly for me. Sometimes you can spice it up a little bit with a cookie, but not too often."
It's coffee, coffee, coffee, for Qwiberg, but where?
"Actually, I haven't found a really good fika place yet."
The San Jose Earthquakes are still looking to form chemistry, settle in, and build towards the future. They've got a new ideas, players, and a vision that few MLS teams would dare to take on. The Swedish invasion is in full swing and it could cause some surprise Quakes.
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