USMNT striker Jóhannsson - Playing in MLS "is definitely a dream of mine"

US men's national team striker Aron Jóhannsson was in good form this season. The former Werder Bremen striker has scored 15 goals in 25 games for Swedish side Hammarby. With that in mind, Jóhannsson, who has kept a close eye on the Bundesliga and Major League Soccer, is contemplating the next step in his career with the goal to return to the US men's national team. 

Once again, playing for the US national team has been on Jóhannsson's mind. "I have been in contact with the coaches or been there, and I had a good conversation with [national team coach] Gregg [Berhalter] probably a month ago," Jóhannsson said.  "And he was just happy that I was doing so well, and he says that he's keeping an eye on me and hopefully I'll keep on playing as well as I am, and then when we see if it's good enough to come back on a team." 

The USMNT The full squad at a glance Click here Getting back in the team, however, will not be easy. The US national team has made major strides in the last few years. The likes of Christian Pulisic (Chelsea), Giovanni Reyna (Dortmund), Sergiño Dest (Barcelona) are now playing at major European clubs. More young players are emerging either in MLS or other European competitions, among them Werder Bremen striker Josh Sargent, who Jóhannsson described as unbelievable. 

"There's a lot of very exciting players coming in, and that's also even more reason why I want to get back to the team," Jóhannsson said. "I want to play against the best, and I want to play with the best. So just being part of that group would mean something special as well."

Despite growing up in Iceland, playing for the US was always something special for the Alabama-born striker. Nonetheless, Jóhannsson described the decision to play for the US over Iceland as being tough. "But it just felt right," Jóhannsson said. "And even today, I'm very happy that I was able to play a few games and, you know, who knows, maybe in the future we'll play more games."

Jóhannsson: "Waiting to see what's going to happen"

But to break back into a talented group will not be easy for the 30-year-old. First and foremost, Jóhannsson will have to play in a more competitive league. "I don't know exactly where we go now, but things are just open, and I'm just waiting to see what's going to happen," Jóhannsson said. "Obviously for the national team, they're looking to have players play in the best divisions."

The Bundesliga would be one option going forward, and Jóhannsson told Transfermarkt that he would like to return to Germany. Another option is MLS. "It's definitely been a dream of mine for a long time to play in MLS," Jóhannsson said. "I don't know if it's gonna happen in January or not, but it certainly is very interesting for me. Like I say, I will look at everything and try to find the best option to grow. And obviously I'm thinking about the national team because it's a dream of mine to come back to the team."

Interview recorded by Lennart Gens

Text by Manuel Veth