Aron Johannsson

9. Aron Johannsson Forward | Club: AZ (Netherlands) If Jozy Altidore can’t find his goalscoring form for the national team again quickly, Johannsson is

Liviu Bird | Jun 2, 2014

Aron Johannsson /

9. Aron Johannsson

Forward | Club: AZ (Netherlands)

Age	Hometown	Height	Weight	Goals	Caps
23	Mobile, Ala.	6-0	165	2	8

If Jozy Altidore can’t find his goalscoring form for the national team again quickly, Johannsson is poised to step into the position. Much like Altidore, he enjoyed a career year in the Dutch Eredivisie — the two were teammates before Altidore left for England — and scored 26 goals in all competitions. The Icelandic-American hasn’t received much time for the national team, but he does have a couple of goals to his name.

OUTLOOK: Despite his scorching club form, Jóhannsson will fight to make the starting lineup at the World Cup. Forwards in his position have only one form of recourse: when he gets on the field, he has to score. The Dutch league is often criticized for its lax defenses, but at least Jóhannsson knows what it feels like to score often and how to get himself in position to do it.

Meet the 23: Complete roster breakdown

Published Jun 2, 2014

LIVIU BIRD

Liviu Bird is a soccer analyst with more than 20 years of experience in the game. He learned how to play in the streets of Romania before moving to the soccer wilderness of Fairbanks, Alaska, escaping to play collegiately as a goalkeeper at Highline Community College and Seattle Pacific University, where he also earned his B.A. in journalism. Bird played semiprofessionally and had tryouts at professional clubs but hung up his gloves in 2012 to focus on writing and coaching at the youth and collegiate levels. He joined Sports Illustrated in March 2013 as a freelance contributor and has also written for NBC Sports, Soccer Wire, The New York Times, American Soccer Now and the Telegraph (UK).