I’ve been back in Sweden for a month, and can’t even
describe how nice it has been to be back at work. Especially when I got the
news that I was cleared for contact 2 months ahead of schedule!
The 4 months I was able to spend at home were incredible.
Having so much time with my friends and family was a nice change after spending
so much time abroad. However, as my recovery progressed and I was able to do
more soccer related activities, it got harder to enjoy my time at home and feel
like I was doing my job as well. Especially since my coach had asked me to
serve as the captain for the upcoming season at the end of January. Trying to
spend time with friends and family while also making sure that I was staying on
top of my fitness and rehab were frequently pulling me in different directions.
So it has been nice to have my life simplified again even if it meant taking me
away from family and friends.
However, not all of my friends were left back in Chicago!
Having Charlie Campbell, who has been one of my closest
friends for many years, here with me this year has been awesome. I have been
able to ease his transition into life over here in Sweden and having him here
has made it easy for me to resume my life. He was able to find an apartment in
downtown Gothenburg, which is both a good and bad thing, as we are not able to
spend a ton of time together outside of practice. But it gives me the
opportunity to make it to the city once a week to hang out with him and explore
Gothenburg more than I was able to last year. We have been able to find a lot
of cool café’s and restaurants that will need to be re-visited as the weather
improves!
With the weather being so cold in this part of the world the
team decided to send us on a preseason trip to Turkey. We were in Antalya on an
all-inclusive resort for 6 days and it was an incredible experience. I only
wish that I had been closer to Istanbul! However, the bazaar that I was able to
visit was a really unique experience and I am glad I was able to get a taste of
what Turkey has to offer.
After our brief visit to a tropical climate we were thrust
back into our preparations for our opening match of the season. We met
Hammarby, who are tipped to win the league this year, at home. Due to the rough
weather we had to play the match at a neutral location, 2 hours south, but
earned a 0-0 draw. It was a result that we were very happy to claim despite
having the better chances to score.
This past weekend was a different story. We traveled south
to meet Falkenbergs FF in their home-opener in a contest that ended up being
more of a fight than a soccer match. We were unable to cope with the horrendous
conditions of the game and lost 2-1. On the bright side I did record my first
league goal for Ljungskile in the match on a penalty kick. Here’s a link to
watch the goal. We are
hoping to get back on track this Sunday when we meet Assyriska at home.
Grandma Hopkins I know that you will be able to recover
quicker than the doctor’s think! Hope your recovery is going well!
Thinking of everyone at home and in Boston. Proud to be an
American!
