Herman Johannson on Los Angeles FC performance, Major League Soccer transition
After FC Dallas' tough loss to LAFC on Saturday, I had a moment to speak with Swedish international wing back Herman Johansson about his performances and adjustment to a new league.
In a tweak that piqued our curiosity, FC Dallas lined up on Saturday evening against Los Angeles FC with new signing Herman Johansson in a left wing back role, more of an inverted style to bring stability to that side of the field but also give the chance for him to slash in shots or crosses from his right foot. It turned out to be his best performance of the year (so far). Incidentally, Herman also went for the full 90, something we haven’t seen yet as he has adjusted to Quill’s tactics and Major League Soccer’s physicality.
Waiting patiently for him to finish an interview with a couple of journalists from Radio Sweden, Herman is an imposing presence - tall with a strong frame that seems suited to soccer here in North America.
His conversation with Radio Sweden centered around his World Cup hopes, as Sweden’s national team, quite a large potential roster, slowly gets whittled down in the coming weeks. No doubt, he will be working hard to stay in the mix. With the way FC Dallas employs his skills, we expect assists sooner rather than later to aid him in that argument.
I was able to ask him about his performance that evening, in particular the hard work to keep Bouanga and Son Heung-Min away from doing any real danger.
“We are still going through a process, I think, trying to figure out how exactly we are going to play — but in a good way,” he told Afterburn. “I think we were very structured today. We kept them outside and didn’t let them have too many chances and got a few chances ourselves. This game could have gone either way. Too bad, it turned out to be a little short today, but I think it was an even game and could have gone either way. I think we move forward from here.”
His adjustment to Major League Soccer has been a fun thing to watch too, as the league definitely surprises more than a few players who discover its competitiveness and eccentricities can be deceptive from the outside looking in.
“I think it’s good. It’s new. It’s a different way of playing football — or soccer, as you say,” he said. “I am still adapting, I think, but it’s been good and getting used to it more and more. I am optimistic for the future.”
A key question for fans to watch is how Quill and company utilize him, whether they do keep him at left wing back for certain matchups. Bernard Kamungo obviously is a part of that conversation if he ends up being more dangerous on the right side. Still, you can't deny that Johansson was sending in some nice crosses once switched back to the right side late in the game. It’s a good problem for Quill to have as he tries to get the most potent lineup on the field each week.