Former USMNT forward Aron Johannsson eyes MLS move after Hammarby success

Former US men’s national team striker Aron Johannsson is set to leave Swedish side Hammarby IF and has MLS in his crosshairs.

The 30-year-old forward has been linked with MLS in years past, but a move never materialized. Now, he’s coming to the climax of a season in which he's scored 15 times in 25 matches across all competitions for the Allsvenskan club.

“I’ve always said it, it’s a goal of mine to play in MLS and there's been a few times where it’s been discussions with clubs, but it hasn’t gone really – it hasn’t happened,” Johannsson told ESPN's Sebastian Salazar. “We will see. I think after this season now with Hammarby, it looks like I’ll be parting ways with Hammarby and going somewhere else. I’m not sure exactly now where I will go, but as things stand now I will leave in January.”

Johannsson has four goals in 19 USMNT appearances, but hasn’t featured on the international stage since a September 2015 friendly against Brazil. Most notably, the dual-national was part of the 2014 USMNT side that advanced to the FIFA World Cup’s Round of 16.

But the Icelandic-American striker, who was born in Alabama, never quite took off while battling persistent injuries. For one, his stop at Bundesliga side Werder Bremen ended with just 30 appearances (5g 4a) from 2015-19. Johannsson enjoyed more-fruitful stints at Dutch side AZ Alkmaar and Danish side AGF Aarhus earlier in his career.

Now, as Johannsson charts his next stop, he’s eyeing an MLS destination. He’s also interested in returning to Germany, with a move poised for the upcoming January transfer window.

“I think maybe I will take up a new challenge and we will see,” Johannsson said. “I’m very interested in MLS and we will see what happens.”