Posted by

Harjeet Johal ,

April 13, 2015 Twitter

@HarJournalist Read this on your iPhone/iPad or Android device



VANCOUVER, B.C. - TThe Columbus Crew dipped into Sweden's Allsvenskan League during the offseason and signed midfielder Mohammed Saeid from Örebro SK. The 24 year-old Saeid almost gave up on his dream of becoming a professional footballer when he was a teenager with West Bromwich Albion. A strong family bond and guidance from a special coach helped Saeid rise from the Swedish third tier with BK Forward, to Örebro SK, and now his current club, the Columbus Crew in Major League Soccer. Saeid was signed to a youth contract with West Bromwich and he was understandably crushed when things didn't work out. Still to this day he doesn't know why the West Midlands club cut bait with him. At that time Saeid didn't think he would fulfil his dream of becoming a professional footballer. "I don't really know why it didn't work out, guess they had a lot of players. As an 18 year-old when you get told you aren't going to make it at a club you've been with for a long time, you're a little bit down. It's every boys dream to make it as a soccer player." Instead of packing it in, Saeid persevered and went back to his home country of Sweden to continue playing football and work towards his ultimate goal. Being back home in Örebro allowed Saeid to be closer to his friends, family and strong people around him. A fresh start was exactly what was in the cards. "In the first place, why I joined BK Forward... I had a lot of trouble in West Brom. I felt like I needed to start somewhere and I started where I began my soccer career with BK Forward. I had a real good season, I scored 8 goals, 15 assists and had a lot of interest from other clubs. I started liking soccer again so I joined Örebro." During his three seasons with Örebro SK, Mohammed Saeid earned 68 appearances and scored 7 goals. His first career Allsvenskan tally came early into the 2012 campaign on May 16 against powerhouse AIK. His confidence was bright and once again he enjoyed coming to the pitch to play the game he loved. Saeid's family was always by his side throughout his journey. "First of all my family, Dad, Mom, Brother. They all encouraged me since I was young. Obviously my coach who was there, Axel Kjäll. He's Assistant Manager for Örebro right now. He was the one that restored faith in me and made soccer fun. I have a lot to thank." Saeid looks back on his time in his home city of Örebro as a positive step in his development and growth. "It was good. My first season nobody really expected me to start and I started nearly every game. I played really good and it continued. I was a starter for three years and I felt that I needed a new trend." A new trend took Mohammed Saeid all the way across the pond for an adventure in America with MLS side, Columbus Crew. MLS is being viewed more and more as a league that is growing in talent, skill, fan support, and coverage. The old reputation as a retirement league for over the hill footballers is quickly vanishing. Saeid saw the appeal right away and agreed to sign with the Crew after the 2014 Allsvenskan season. Shoutout to my Mini Me (@Msaeid8) on his first MLS game last night....and also trying to dress like me 👏👏👏. pic.twitter.com/UBxAQWUfZT — KEI KAMARA (@keikamara) March 15, 2015

"It's a growing league. MLS is a growing league and a lot of players want to come here. You can see why it's a growing league. There's a lot of people watching the games and the soccer's improving. Everything's basically improving and it's on the way up. That's why it made it appealing." The Columbus Crew are not as glamorous as LA Galaxy, New York City FC or big Canadian spenders Toronto FC. The Crew only have one designated player, Federico Higuaín. The Mapfre Stadium lads are an exciting young, organized team that represents the working class state of Ohio. Saeid had other offers on the table, but he wanted to play for the Columbus Crew and experience MLS. "It was just about the way Columbus Crew play and their soccer. I had a lot of interest, but this seemed like a good project for me and that's why I joined." MLS players from Sweden are few and far between. Past players like Christian Wilhelmsson, Freddie Ljungberg, Adam Johansson, and Markus Holgersson have all departed. New additions like Kennedy Igboananike (Chicago), Axel Sjöberg (Colorado) are in their inaugural seasons. Stockholm native, Stefan Ishizaki joined Los Angeles in 2014 and was able to provide great feedback and advice for Saeid. "We spoke a little bit. When they (Columbus) showed interest we spoke via twitter. He said a lot of good stuff about LA. It was a positive thing to know that somebody's already there and enjoying their soccer. It was definitely a help." Columbus has played five matches this season and complied a record of 1-2-2. Mohammed Saeid has started three matches and has been on the pitch for 301 minutes of intense action. Early into the season, Manager Gregg Berhalter has chosen to play a 4-2-3-1 formation with Saeid as a holding midfielder. At five-foot and seven-inches, it didn't take long for Saeid to notice the extra physical style of MLS. "Yeah it is physical. There's a lot of small players in the league, but I guess we just have to be more clever and use our brains more. It's physical and the referee's don't give you all the decisions, but that's like that everywhere." One of many differences between MLS and European Football is the amount of access media are given to players at training sessions and after a match. It takes time for players to adjust to having media enter the sacred locker room after a defeat, draw, or win. The massive size of North America and long travel distances also catch new players by surprise. Saeid reflected on how matchdays are different for fans. #beautifulcity #Vancouver #Canada pic.twitter.com/wMCdKUjCqF — Mohammed K Saeid 8 (@Msaeid8) April 8, 2015

"There's a lot of differences. The way we go about how matchdays go, it's a lot different to Europe. How the fans gather together to go and watch the games or whether it's us as a team traveling for long distances, so it's a lot of differences. For fans there's a lot of stuff going on just before games to encourage the fans to come to games. It's not really like that in most European Leagues." He's not in Europe anymore. All of his hard work and hours upon hours training have helped Mohammed Saeid move up from BK Forward all the way to Major League Soccer in Columbus. Saied is a great testament to all athletes who are told they can't make it in sport. As long as your hope, belief, determination, and work ethic never fades you can make it just like Mohammed Saeid. Notes: The Columbus Crew host Ricardo Kaka and Orlando City Soccer Club on Saturday, April 18.