Sweden’s Isak Sedin “lives the dream” plays football for La Salle
La Salle football player Isak Sedin’s dormant facial expression is one of reflection and reflection, not unlike an atypical portrayal of a Greek philosopher.
When teammate Luis Puchol pays tribute to the stories of how the two first met and how much they have grown, Sedin nods thoughtfully, wordlessly … until Puchol is asked what he wants people to know about the Swedish midfielder.
Sedin can not help but crack a small half smile and say: “High singer.”
It has since been agreed that although he may be a loud singer, he is a good one. “If you want someone who knows how to sing, meet him,” laughs Puchol. “He’s definitely a great dancer too, but he’s just showing it at home, he’s a little shy.”
In a strange way, it’s a pretty perfect introduction to Sedin. He’s talented, he can perform, but he’s not cocky. (If you do not challenge him to a game of SingStar. Then he’s pretty sure no one can beat him.)
“I know what I’m good at, and I know I do what I do, and I show that I have qualities that can be useful to the team,” Sedin said.
Puchol was more ready to sing his teammate’s praise when he talked about playing with him, and said of the midfielder wearing the team’s jersey No. 10: “Oh, I love it! He’s really passionate, he brings that passion and that gravel [the game]. We know him very well, so we have a really good chemistry – not only me, but our housemates too – so it’s great. He always has a positive attitude, always tries to encourage his teammates, so it’s definitely great to have him with us. ”
Sedin grew up in a city up in northern Sweden, “in a small town, maybe 30,000 people, and most people know everyone. In that area you go to school from when you are 9 years old, you cycle around with your friends, you have no worries. And we played a lot of football, a lot of football. “
He was skilled in both floorball and alpine skiing and had a choice when high school came.
“When you start high school, you get to choose whether you want to play football as a lower class, or floorball … I was really good at that. Then I started going to the Swedish university for a year, but the university was an hour away from my house, so I would have to go up there to school and home to play football. It was like a two-hour trip every day, which is not so bad, but a little annoying. ”
In Sweden, he felt that he could not have the best of both worlds. That’s where La Salle came in.
“I wanted an education and I wanted to play football,” Sedin said. “And here you get to do both in the same place.”
The transition from Sweden to the USA was not as difficult as one might expect. While some international players have a hard time adapting to the endlessly unpredictable weather in Philadelphia, Sedin was not confused. “Sweden is … quite cold compared to here. But it’s not as cold as people imagine. Just to make it clear. “
There were also a number of European players who joined the team at the same time as he to give a sense of familiarity in otherwise unknown territory.
“I’m used to being in new environments, so meeting new people is not super difficult,” he explained. “Then I came here, and I had a couple of guys from Europe too – [Puchol] and Franc [Gamiz Quer]- and we tied up pretty quickly, even if they would speak Spanish without me! However, Puchi is best in English … “
Puchol remembered their first meeting with joy and said: “As soon as we started talking to him, practicing, getting to know him, it was very easy. He was very open to us, he was very easy to talk to.”
Puchol also emphasized Sedin’s growth during the couple’s three years at La Salle so far.
“It’s actually very interesting,” Puchol said. “You feel like you’re meeting your real friends, the friends you’ll take with you to the end of your life at university. I’ll definitely take him forever, and it’s really interesting because as a beginner I see myself as a little children, and how much we have matured and how much better we know each other. That’s great. “
And for all intents and purposes, life on La Salle is good for Sedin. In his team biography, he described coming to the university as “a dream come true”, and developed by saying, “[It’s] live with people who want to do the same as you. You wake up, you eat breakfast with your friends, you go and train together, you go to class together and then you do what you want at night. ”
He added: “It’s the dream by the way, to be able to do it later, but without the school part. Wake up, have breakfast with your friends, work out with them, go to the gym with them, then go home and do anything. It’s to live. the dream, and we are quite close to it. ”
Sedin has started eight games for 5-10 Explorers on his way to the end of Saturday’s season at George Mason. He is currently a junior and has set his sights on playing football as a career after graduating. He has some contacts at home that he would love to work with again, and maybe even bring with him Puchol, Gamiz Quer and the other housemate, Carlos Mora.
“Carlos and Franc have already gone to Sweden, and maybe Puchi will too!” he said.
Wherever football takes the next Frenkie de Jong (as Puchol puts it, and Sedin agrees – “I would beat him if he did not say so!”), Sedin can content himself with knowing that even if he can describe himself as humble, his abilities are unrecognizable and are well respected by those around him.
“He’s serious when he needs to be serious and funny when he needs to be funny,” Puchol said. “He pushes you to become a better person and a better player … we love having him in everyday life.”