Axel Sjöberg (; born 8 March 1991) is a Swedish former

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

Career

Early career

Sjöberg began his career with Helenelunds IK in his hometown at age four before moving to the academy of

Djurgårdens IF Djurgårdens Idrottsförening, commonly known simply as Djurgårdens IF, Djurgården (), and (especially locally) Djurgår'n (), Dif or DIF – is a Swedish sports association with several sections, located in Stockholm. Djurgårdens IF is an s ...

, long-time member of the

Allsvenskan Allsvenskan (; ), also known as Fotbollsallsvenskan (, ) is a professional association football league in Sweden and the highest level of the Swedish football league system. Founded in 1924, it operates on a system of promotion and relegatio ...

, the top tier of the

Swedish football league system The Swedish football league system is a series of interconnected leagues for club football in Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. ...

at age 6 in 1997. Sjöberg stayed with the club until 2009, when he signed with Sollentuna United FF of Division 2 for 2010. Sjöberg scored three goals during the season and helped the club finish second in the league, seven points behind

IK Frej IK Frej is a Swedish sports club located in Täby kyrkby. It currently plays in Division 3, the fifth tier in Swedish football. Background IK Frej was founded 5 February 1968 by Åke Berghagen and his friends. Today, IK Frej has more than 120 ...

. Sjöberg was selected for the club's Player of the Year award following the season. The club's second-place finish was enough to earn a berth in the

2011 Svenska Cupen The 2011 Svenska Cupen (English: Swedish Cup) was the 56th season of Svenska Cupen, the main Swedish football Cup. It began on 5 March 2011 with the first match of the preliminary round and ended on 5 November with the Final. Helsingborgs IF won t ...

. Sjöberg did not appear in the cup matches as Sollentuna advanced out of the preliminary round with a shootout victory over

Nyköpings BIS Nyköpings BIS is a Swedish football club located in Nyköping. The club started out as a merger in 1966 between Nyköpings SK and Nyköpings AIK. Since their foundation Nyköpings BIS has participated mainly in the middle divisions of the Swedis ...

before being knocked out in the next round with a 0–4 defeat to

Vasalunds IF Vasalunds IF is a Swedish football club based in Solna, Stockholm. The club is affiliated with Stockholms Fotbollförbund. History Vasalund was formed in 1934 and play in the Swedish Third Division: Ettan Norra. In 2002 the club merged with Es ...

College and semi-professional

In 2011, Sjöberg committed to play

college soccer College soccer, called college football in some countries, is played by teams composed of soccer players who are enrolled in colleges and universities. While it is most widespread in the United States, it is also prominent in Japan, South Kore ...

with the

Marquette Golden Eagles The Marquette Golden Eagles are an athletic team representing Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. They compete as a member of the NCAA Division I level (non-football, sub-level), primarily competing in the Big East Conf ...

Marquette University Marquette University () is a Private university, private Jesuit research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. It was established as Marquette College on August 28, 1881, by John Henni, the first Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Ar ...

. In his four years with the team before graduating, Sjöberg appeared in (and started) 63 matches and tallied eleven goals and 9 assists. Beginning with his second year with the team, Sjöberg played every minute of every match. For his performances, he was the recipient of numerous awards including multiple

Big East The Big East Conference (stylized as BIG EAST) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference that competes in National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA NCAA Division I, Division I in 10 men's sports and 12 women's sports. H ...

Player of the Week awards and being named one of the 10 best defenders in college soccer by TopDrawerSoccer.com. For the

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

and 2013 seasons, Sjöberg also played semi-professional soccer for the

Thunder Bay Chill Thunder Bay Chill Soccer Club is a Canadian soccer team based in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 2000, the team played in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the United States soccer pyramid from 2000 to 2024. The team plays its home ...

of the

Premier Development League USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States, forming part of the United States soccer league system. The league will featu ...

, the fourth tier of the

United States soccer league system The United States soccer league system is a series of professional and amateur soccer leagues based, in whole or in part, in the United States. Although sometimes called the American soccer pyramid, teams and leagues are not linked by a system o ...

. He and two other Marquette teammates were invited to the club after the Chill played a friendly match with Marquette in

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

. In 2012, he appeared in 15 matches and tallied two goals and an assist. The following season, he appeared in 14 matches and scored four goals for the Canadian club. In 2012, he helped the Chill win the Heartland Division championship. In 2013 the Chill were crowned regular seasons champions of the PDL and advanced to the final match in which they lost to the

Austin Aztex The Austin Aztex were a soccer team based in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 2011 as a member of the Premier Development League, the team played the 2015 season in the United Soccer League, the second tier of the United States soccer p ...

. Sjöberg was named the club's Defender of the Year for both seasons.

Professional

Early career

In July 2014, Sjöberg went on trial with

GAIS Gais () is a village and a municipality in the canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden in Switzerland. The area of Gais is . In 1977, the village Gais received the Wakker Prize for the development and preservation of its architectural heritage. The ...

of the Swedish

Superettan Superettan (; ) is an association football league and the second highest league in the Swedish football league system, league system of Swedish football, Swedish men's football. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and rel ...

. During the trial, he appeared in one friendly match, a 3–0 victory over Lärje-Angered IF on 16 July. Also in 2014, Sjöberg trialed with

SK Sigma Olomouc SK Sigma Olomouc is a Czech professional football club based in the city of Olomouc. The club currently competes in the Czech First League, the first tier of Czech football. The club played in the first tier league for 30 years between 1984 and 2 ...

of the Czech Synot Liga. After scoring two goals in three matches with the reserve team, he was offered a contract.

Colorado Rapids

In January 2015, Sjöberg was invited to the 2015 MLS Combine and was projected by some MLS analysts to be a potential first round draft pick in the

2015 MLS SuperDraft The 2015 MLS SuperDraft was the sixteenth SuperDraft conducted by Major League Soccer. The SuperDraft is held each year in conjunction with the annual National Soccer Coaches Association of America convention. The 2015 convention was held Janua ...

. On the night before the draft,

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...

analyst Jonathan Yardley described Sjöberg as the most MLS-ready defender available. Sjöberg went on to be drafted 14th overall by the

Colorado Rapids The Colorado Rapids are an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Denver metropolitan area. The Rapids compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. Founded in ...

after they swapped picks with the

Columbus Crew SC The Columbus Crew are an American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team began play in 1996 as one of the 10 charter clubs of the league. ...

to take him. Sjöberg made his professional debut on 7 March 2015 in Colorado's opening match of the 2015 season. He started the eventual 0–0 draw with the

Philadelphia Union The Philadelphia Union are an American professional soccer club based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. Founded on February 28, 2008, the Union began ...

and was credited with keeping the defense organized after the Rapids went down a man in the 68th minute. About Sjöberg being a starter, Rapids head coach

Pablo Mastroeni Pablo Mastroeni (born August 29, 1976) is an American soccer coach and former player who is the head coach of Major League Soccer club Real Salt Lake. He was formerly head coach of the Colorado Rapids, and assistant coach of the Houston Dynamo ...

said, "It wasn't a part of the plan but that's why we do preseason. These two guys (Sjöberg and fellow rookie

Dominique Badji Dominique Joël Badji (born October 16, 1992) is a Senegalese professional footballer who plays as a forward for Major League Soccer club D.C. United. Career Early life Born in Dakar, Senegal, Badji moved to Tanzania and Zimbabwe prior to movin ...

) have proven that they're fully capable and ready to contribute to the team right now." Sjöberg scored his first professional goal for the Rapids on 21 May 2016 in a 1–0 victory over the

Seattle Sounders FC Seattle Sounders FC is an American professional association football, soccer club based in Seattle. The Sounders compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The club was established on ...

. The game-winning goal secured ensured that Colorado moved back atop the overall Major League Soccer standings after being displaced momentarily by

FC Dallas FC Dallas is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The franchise be ...

who were victorious earlier in the matchday. During his first 11 starts of the

2016 Major League Soccer season The 2016 Major League Soccer season featured 20 total clubs (17 based in the United States, 3 based in Canada). The regular season began on March 6 and ended on October 23. The playoffs began on October 26 and ended on December 10. The defendin ...

, the Colorado Rapids conceded only seven goals which, among other qualities, made him an early contender for the

MLS Defender of the Year The Major League Soccer Defender of the Year Award is an annual award handed out to the top defender in Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest lev ...

award and for a spot on the

2016 MLS All-Star Game The 2016 Major League Soccer All-Star Game, the 21st annual Major League Soccer All-Star Game, took place on July 28, 2016 (7:30 p.m. EDT, 4:30 p.m. local time) at Avaya Stadium, the home of the San Jose Earthquakes. The game was te ...

roster according to one MLS columnist. Although he was not named to the all-star squad, another MLS columnist named Sjöberg one of the top five most surprising omissions from the roster as the player was a consistent contributor to the best defense in the league to that point of the season. In 2017, Sjöberg started the Rapids' home and away openers before picking up a hamstring injury in the away opener. Sjöberg returned to the lineup on 21 May 2017. At the conclusion of the 2019 season Sjöberg was placed on waivers by Colorado, ending his tenure with the club.

Columbus Crew SC

On 4 December 2019, Sjöberg was selected off waivers by

. On 6 March 2020, Sjöberg joined

USL Championship The USL Championship (USLC) is a men's professional association football, soccer league in the second tier of the United States soccer league system#Men's leagues, United States league system. It is organized by the United Soccer League (USL) a ...

club

San Antonio FC San Antonio FC is a professional soccer club based in San Antonio, Texas. It competes in the USL Championship, the second-highest level of the United States soccer league system, as a member of the Western Conference. History San Antonio FC ...

on loan for the 2020 season.

D.C. United

On 14 August 2020,

D.C. United D.C. United is an American professional soccer club based in Washington, D.C. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. Domestically, the club has won four MLS Cups (league championships), four Supp ...

acquired Sjöberg from Columbus Crew in exchange for Emmanuel Boateng. Sjöberg made his debut for United on 29 August 2020, in a 1–4 loss against the

. He was released by D.C. United on 30 November 2020.

San Antonio FC

On 21 January 2021, Sjöberg re-joined

Retirement

On April 24, 2022, Sjöberg announced on his Instagram page that he had decided to retire from professional football.

Career statistics

Honours

Individual *

MLS Best XI The MLS Best XI is an annual acknowledgment of the best eleven players in Major League Soccer. The selection is determined by a collection of media, players, and MLS club technical staffs. Winners Appearances by player The following players ...

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sjoberg, Axel Living people 1991 births Swedish men's footballers Footballers from Stockholm Men's association football central defenders Marquette Golden Eagles men's soccer players Sollentuna FK players Thunder Bay Chill players Colorado Rapids draft picks Colorado Rapids players Columbus Crew players D.C. United players San Antonio FC players Division 2 (Swedish football) players USL League Two players Major League Soccer players Swedish expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States Swedish expatriate sportspeople in the United States Expatriate men's soccer players in Canada Swedish expatriate sportspeople in Canada 21st-century Swedish sportsmen