 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Aron Jóhannsson | ||
| Date of birth | November 10, 1990 | ||
| Place of birth | Mobile, Alabama, United States | ||
| Height | 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Playing position | Striker / Winger | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | AZ | ||
| Number | 20 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2000–2004 | Fjölnir | ||
| 2005 | Breiðablik | ||
| 2006–2008 | Fjölnir | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2008–2010 | Fjölnir | 37 | (13) |
| 2010–2013 | AGF | 65 | (23) |
| 2013– | AZ | 18 | (12) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2011–2012 | Iceland U21 | 10 | (1) |
| 2013– | United States | 6 | (1) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of November 10, 2013.
† Appearances (Goals).
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of November 24, 2013 | |||
Aron Jóhannsson (born November 10, 1990) is an Icelandic-American soccer player, who plays as a strikerfor Eredivisie side AZ, as well as the United States men's national soccer team.
Early Life
Born to Icelandic parents in Mobile, Alabama, United States, Jóhannsson moved to Iceland with his family at the age of three.[1] Growing up, he spent most his life living in Iceland while occasionally visiting the United States as well as completing a year of high school in the United States as an exchange student. [2]
Club career
Youth development
Jóhannsson started his youth career at his local club, Fjölnir, in Reykjavik, Iceland. In 2005, he moved toBreiðablik for one season, heading back to Fjölnir the following year. He then spent the 2007–08 school year playing in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy for the IMG Academy squad based in Bradenton, Florida,[3]where he was coached by coach Tom Durkin.
Fjölnir
Jóhannsson made his debut for Fjölnir in the 2008 Úrvalsdeild season. He became a regular in the side the following year, making a total of 37 league appearances for the club, scoring 13 goals in the process, 12 of them in his last season.
AGF Aarhus
Jóhannsson attracted attention from foreign clubs during his second full season for Fjölnir, moving to AGF Aarhus in late August 2010. Following a fine performance in the away match against Viborg FF on April 16, 2011 (which AGF won 3–2), Aron was chosen as one of the team's starting strikers. He played the remaining games for AGF in the season, helping his team to the promotion to the Superliga. His first goal for AGF came in an away match in the Danish 1st Division against Hvidovre IF on April 28, 2011.
He made his debut in the Danish Superliga on July 18, 2011 in a 2–1 win against Lyngby BK. After 15 goalless matches, he finally scored his first goal in the Superliga in the away match against SønderjyskE on November 7, 2011, securing a 1–1 result.
Jóhannsson set a new record August 27, 2012 when he scored the fastest hattrick ever in the Danish Superliga, completing the hattrick in 3 minutes and 50 seconds against AC Horsens; he also scored their fourth goal of the match, giving AGF a 1–4 victory. It took him only 16 minutes to score the four goals, which is another record in the Superliga.[4]
AZ
Jóhannsson joined AZ on January 29, 2013.[5] He scored his first goal for the club on April 14, 2013.[6]
On August 11, 2013, Jóhannsson scored from the penalty spot in a 3-2 win over reigning Eredivisie champions Ajax.[7] Against Sparta Rotterdam, he scored a hat trick in the Dutch Cup on September 25. Three days later, Jóhannsson scored the stunning winner in a 2-1 victory over league leaders PSV Eindhoven.[8]On October 20, Jóhannsson netted a brace as AZ came from a goal back to record a 3-1 win.[9]
International career
After a string of good performances in the Danish Superliga in 2012, Aron received his first call-up to the Iceland squad on October 3, 2012, for the World Cup qualifiers against Switzerland and Albania.[10] However he did not appear due to a groin injury.
Due to being born in the U.S., Aron was also eligible to play for the United States national team. In May 2013, U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann stated that the U.S. team was keeping a "very close eye" on Aron.[11]
On July 29, 2013, Aron posted on his Facebook page that he had decided "to make [himself] eligible for the USA national football team" and wished the Iceland national team all the best in the future.[12] On August 13, 2013, Johannsson's switch from Iceland was approved by FIFA.[13] Jóhannsson made his first appearance for the United States in their 4-3 friendly victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina in Sarajevo on August 14, 2013 when he came on for Eddie Johnson in the 63rd minute. In the final World Cup qualifying game against Panama on October 15, 2013, he scored his first goal in the final minute, securing a 3-2 win
