Sounders star Freddie Ljungberg was in London over the weekend watching his old club, Arsenal, play. But his former manager ruled out Ljungberg's return to the team.
"I saw Freddie, we had a chat and he was with us in the dressing room," Arsenal manager Arsene Wegner told The Mirror of London. "But he didn't ask me about training with us so that will not happen. He is doing very well in the U.S. but that doesn't surprise me. He's a very good player."
Ljungberg, who hasn't confirmed he will return to the Sounders next season, has expressed interest in playing in Europe during the MLS offseason, a la David Beckham at AC Milan.
While Sounders fans certainly wouldn't mind the team's most consistent player staying in shape during the offseason, perhaps the Arsenal snub is a blessing in disguise. When Beckham went to AC Milan on loan, he suddenly remembered the joy of playing every week on one of the world's biggest soccer stages and was reluctant to return to the L.A. Galaxy.
With Lungberg hedging on whether he'll be back, the less temptation the better.
One other thing that could keep Ljungberg in Seattle? Better playing surfaces. Ljungberg wrote a guest column for ESPN last month calling for higher-quality pitches leaguewide. In particular, he had issues with the field in Houston where the Sounders' season ended.
I read this article a while back & I really liked it, so I've decided to post it. Since Freddie came out with his own blog, I'm not really sure what avenue to take with this one. I've mostly just been updating as much Freddie news in one spot, so one doesn't have to go all over the net to find it. Any comments would be appreciated. Thanks again...
Once again, in the super-heated hum of Qwest Field, with a game slipping away from them and the frustrations from the missed chances beginning to build, Sounders FC looked to Freddie Ljungberg.
Once again, trailing 1-0 in Saturday's second half, they asked him for a little night magic.
And Ljungberg delivered. Another big night. Another million-dollar match.
This was exactly the kind of game the Sounders had in mind when they chose former Arsenal midfielder Ljungberg as their designated player and paid him to be the engine for their offense.
"You never know how good someone is until you're on the pitch with him," rookie forward Steve Zakuani said. "Growing up and watching him in the telly and then being with him in training every day, he just drives the team. Fantastic player. I'm 21. He's 32. If I can have a career half as good as his, I'll be happy.
"I've told him many times, 'I think you're the most intelligent player I've ever played with.' He knows what he's going to do. When he's going to do it. How to do it. All that stuff."
With the ball on his foot, Ljungberg is like Steve Nash on the fastbreak. His head is always up. His field vision is 20-10. Instinctively he knows how to shield defenders from the ball. And his quick-twitch decision-making is like a Formula One driver's.
Against FC Dallas before the biggest MLS crowd of Seattle's season, in the final half of the final game of the season, Ljungberg was the class of the pitch.
"You know that if you get in the right spots, eventually he's going to get you the ball and you're going to get one of the goals," Zakuani said. "We've had to learn how to play with him. He's someone who, when he's on like he has been, we know that if you get him the ball then he's going to create chances and we're going to score."
Ljungberg was the instigator for goal opportunties for Nate Jaqua and Freddy Montero and Zakuani. When they didn't convert, Ljungberg kept coming.
"With Freddie, you know the ball is going to be there, bottom line," midfielder Brad Evans said. "He just knows. It's kind of hard to explain, but he knows where the keeper's going to be. He knows where the defenders are. He's been in that position a hundred times more than any of us have, so you know he knows what to do."
This is Freddie Ljungberg. Dangerous every time the ball is on his boot. Maybe the best player in the MLS. Certainly the league's best newcomer.
When he possesses the ball, there is a belief that something can get done. Like a champion miler, Ljungberg has a finishing kick.
He makes the Sounders a scary first-round opponent as they begin the playoffs against Houston on Thursday at Qwest.
"He's a guy who's a gamer when it comes time to play," technical director Chris Henderson said. "He has the respect in the locker room that this is a guy who's going to win for us. The bigger the game, the better he plays."
Sure, Ljungberg never hides his frustrations. When one of his seeing-eye services isn't finished, he'll often cover his face with his hands, then lift his arms to the heavens as if to say, "What else can I do?"
Then he does more.
"He gets his head down, for sure," Evans said. "But it doesn't mean he's going to stop fighting. He's going to continue to get you that ball. It's not like, 'You missed it once, you're gone.' That's not the case here. He's committed 100 percent. If you're on, he's playing you the ball."
From the edge of the box he crossed a ball onto Fredy Montero's boot and Montero, from the right upright, slid the ball across the goal to Jaqua for the tying score against Dallas.
And 20 minutes later, on the run, Ljungberg created s sliver of space away from Ugo Ihemelu, chipped another perfect pass to Brad Evans, who one-touched the winner past keeper Dario Sala.
Ljungberg, 32, a former Swedish international who is earning $1.3 million, could have thought of this trip from the English Premiership to the MLS as a holiday. He could have taken the money and strolled through the season. Could have partied hard.
But he has treated this year with the newly minted Sounders as seriously as a Champions League season. He has made this team into something more than an expansion team.
"He came here to work," Zakuani said.
It says something about the makeup of these Sounders that their two most-decorated players, keeper Kasey Keller and Ljungberg, are two of their hardest-working players.
"When guys come over here from Europe, you never know if they're going to take their foot off the gas," Jaqua said. "Freddie hasn't at all. Every time he steps on the field, he approaches it with a lot of energy and passion."
It's winning time, and Ljungberg is going full throttle. In his first season in America, he's playing like a million bucks.
Ljungberg recorded four assists while leading Seattle to a 3-0-0 record during the month, and a berth in the 2009 MLS Cup Playoffs.
RENTON, WASH. – Seattle Sounders FC midfielder Freddie Ljungberg was voted Major League Soccer’s Player of the Month for October. Ljungberg recorded four assists while leading Seattle to a 3-0-0 record during the month, and a berth in the 2009 MLS Cup Playoffs.
Seattle entered the final month of the season with a 9-7-11 record and balanced precariously on the playoff bubble. With Ljungberg leading the charge, the Sounders rallied for nine points finished as the third seed in the Western Conference bracket. Ljungberg is the first Swedish player to win MLS Player of the Month. As it is a regular-season honor, this is the last MLS Player of the Month in 2009.
After defeating the Columbus Crew 1-0 on Oct. 3, the Sounders traveled to Kansas City on Oct. 17 in need of a victory. Down 2-1 early in the second half to the Wizards, Ljungberg led a Sounders attack that netted two goals in the final 25 minutes of play to capture the win and put Kansas City’s slim playoff hopes to bed. Ljungberg found a streaking Nate Jaqua in the middle of the penalty box in the 76th minute for the game-winner.
Seattle hosted FC Dallas on Oct. 24 in a do-or-die game for the Texas club. FC Dallas struck first when Atiba Harris fired a shot from 22 yards out that gave Dallas a 1-0 lead. With the home crowd behind them, Seattle rebounded for two goals in the second half. First Ljungberg wriggled out of pressure on the left flank and sent a cross to Fredy Montero, who slid to dish to Nate Jaqua for a tap-in goal. In the 85th minute, Ljungberg, the Swedish star recorded his second assist of the game when he found Brad Evans at the near post for a close range strike that sealed the victory.
Seattle finished the season 12-7-11 with 47 points and will face the Houston Dynamo on Thursday night at 10 p.m. ET (ESPN2, ESPN Deportes) in Game 1 of a Western Conference semifinal series. Ljungberg, who finished the regular season with two goals and nine assists, will look to break through a Dynamo defense that allowed a league-low 29 goals this season. Ljungberg has recorded one assist in his three previous meetings with the Dynamo. Kickoff for the first game of the home-and-home series is tonight at 10:25 p.m. ET at Qwest Field.
The Major League Soccer Player of the Month is selected following the last regular season game of each month by a panel of journalists from the North American Soccer Reporters (NASR). The group consists of members of print, television, radio and online media. More information and membership guidelines can be found at http://www.soccerreporters.com/.
I'll admit I have been looking for ages for Freddie on facebook & twitter & it seems now here he is! His name/handle is: TheRealFreddie
He has 602 follwers now, but I'm sure it won't be that way for long!!! He even blogged about signing for the Swedes when I was at the game! Side note, the game tonight against Houston will be on ESPN2 at 10PM eastern time. GO SOUNDERS!!!
Here's some exciting Freddie news straight from his agent Claes Elefalk. Freddie has agreed a writing deal with ESPN Soccernet, which is officially launched today with the publishing of Freddies first column on ESPN Soccernet. PRESS RELEASE Freddie Ljungberg Joins ESPN Soccernet.
Soccernet.com today announced that internationally renowned soccer star Freddie Ljungberg will join host Derek Rae, and analysts Tommy Smyth and Janusz Michallik,as a regular guest on ESPNSoccernet Press Pass. This exclusive program, which is aired five days per week since August 13th, gives millions fans across the world a chance to stay up to date on the latest global soccer news and expert opinion’s leading up to the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa. In addition, Freddie will also be sharing his opinions and knowledgeable by writing a column, which is rare and unique among top players in the world, twice per month for the site.
Currently playing in the U.S. for Major League Soccer’s Seattle Sounders FC, Ljungberg’s 15-year career in soccer will add invaluable contributions to the latest news on the pitch. He began his professional career playing for Halmstad BK before joining Arsenal FC where he won the award 2002 Premier League Player of the Year and became a key player on the undefeated team that went on to capture the 2004 EPL title. The Swedish native also participated in the 2002 and 2006 World Cup tournaments and the Euro 2000, Euro 2004 and Euro 2008 for his home country’s national team.
His experience with fame and popularity as a model, fashion icon and product endorser, will also add new dimensions to discussions about the lives of players off the pitch as well. Read Freddie’s column on ESPN Soccernet
Freddie Ljungberg is Goal.com's Major League Soccer player of the week for matchday 31.
Oct 19, 2009 5:33:11 PM
Battling back from injury and low blood sugar, Freddie Ljungberg showed in week 31 exactly why Seattle Sounders FC made him the club's first ever designated player. A 3-2 win over the Kansas City Wizards ensured the expansion side will take part in the postseason and Ljungberg had a hand in every Sounders goal.
"Freddie did the job for the Sounders - made all the right plays to get them into the playoffs," said chief editor Andrea Canales.
In the first half, a crafty corner by Ljungberg caught out the Wizards' defense, allowing Tyrone Marshall to volley home a loose ball. After KC hit up Kasey Keller for two goals and the lead in the second half, the Swede took the game upon himself. Another corner in the 69th minute found Roger Levesque at the far post for the equalizer and, seven minutes later, the 32-year-old harried Matt Besler until the defender coughed up the ball, allowing Ljungberg to slide in the game-winning assist to Nate Jaqua.
"In a seesaw battle against the Kansas City Wizards, the Sounders went down 2-1 in less than 10 minutes early in the second half," said Seattle correspondent John Zielonka. "Ljungberg stepped up and assisted on the two goals that gave the Sounders the win and catapulted them into the playoffs. His leadership and tenacity were not only evident in this match but throughout the 2009 season."
While Ljungberg's play has proved valuable throughout the MLS season, Steve Cronin has languished in the USL. With a goalkeeper injury crisis, D.C. United brought in the former Los Angeles Galaxy shot-stopper on a short term loan. Cronin followed the footsteps of Josh Wicks, another LA goalkeeper who rejuvenated his career in the nation's capital, by putting on a quality display between the sticks against the Columbus Crew.
"Cronin stepped into a chaotic situation when he signed on loan from Portland (USL-1) on Monday and performed admirably in dire conditions at R.F.K. Stadium," explained MLS columnist Kyle McCarthy. "Cronin's composure and his six saves made Luciano Emilio's early goal stand up as United kept its playoff hopes alive with a 1-0 victory over Columbus."
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