SAN JOSE, Calif. – Not since 2012, when Alan Gordon tallied 13 goals and Steven Lenhart added 10 more, have the San Jose Earthquakes had a double-digit scorer to pair alongside team icon Chris Wondolowski.
The Quakes are hoping that Swedish attacker Magnus Eriksson might fill those shoes on more than one account.
Eriksson, whose signing as a Designated Player was announced Wednesday by the Quakes, is another in a long list of offensive options San Jose have tried since winning the Supporters’ Shield in 2012 on the back of a franchise-record 72 goals scored.
But the 27-year-old arrives with arguably the most impressive resume of any of the Quakes’ hopefuls up top, having tied for the lead in Sweden’s top flight this year with 14 goals for third-place Djurgardens IF.
“When we were speaking with Magnus … we realized that he really does embody what San Jose wants to stand for in the future,” said San Jose general manager Jesse Fioranelli, on Wednesday at an Avaya Stadium press conference. “He has the attitude. He has also the character. And then he has also the consistency, when it comes to scoring and delivering assists.”
The left-footed Eriksson has spent the last couple of seasons as inverted right winger, but also served in a more central playmaking role earlier in his career. That gives new coach Mikael Stahre more flexibility as he sees how his pieces fit together.
Eriksson said this was just his third visit to the U.S., but he welcomed a chance to play here after talking with countryman and close friend Erik Friberg. The former Seattle Sounders midfielder was a teammate of Eriksson’s at Malmö FF in 2013.
Eriksson (L), playing in a Europa League match in 2013 / Reuters
“MLS is growing, more and more,” Eriksson said. “People in Europe are talking about the quality and about the league in general. So for me, when I first got the contact from Jesse, I felt really pleased and was really excited about coming over here. Now I’m happy to be a part of it.”
In addition to his goal scoring, Eriksson has also become known for his ability to rile up opponents – a trait the Quakes have not featured much since the departure of Lenhart, who had become MLS’ top villain by the time injuries curtailed his career. Eriksson quipped that the comments must show that he’s “doing something right” with his style of play.
“I think I upset the opponents’ fans,” Eriksson told MLSsoccer.com. “I’m pretty tough on the field, I nag a bit. That’s my way of playing. I’ve always been like that. That is me.”
The Quakes’ interest in Eriksson was born months before Stahre was named to his post, but his arrival may have helped their chances. Eriksson played for Stahre in 2008 as a teenager on loan at Väsby United (now known as AFC Eskilstuna), and he said the coach played a role in leading him to give up a promising ice hockey career in favor of a full-time focus on soccer.
Eriksson described Stahre as a coach with a keen eye for critical details and a ball-possession ethos.
“When it comes to how to think and how to create a winning team – in some ways, he said things to us players that we didn’t even know about before,” Eriksson said. “When it comes to the small details, he’s a good coach, an offensive coach, a complete coach.”
Fioranelli said that the acquisition on Eriksson doesn’t represent the final piece of the Quakes’ roster puzzle, but acknowledged things are winding down in terms of adding players. San Jose is still attempting to bring back Dutch forward Danny Hoesen, who spent 2017 at Avaya on loan from FC Groningen.
With the arrival of Eriksson, the Quakes are exploring their roster options, which include offloading a 2017 DP – presumably Simon Dawkins, who appeared in only three of the Quakes’ final 19 league matches – or paying down someone’s salary-cap hit through the use of allocation money.
