Following the first-round exit from the 2017 USL playoffs, Battery veteran forward Heviel Cordoves signed with the Richmond Kickers and Atlanta United recalled forward Romario Williams. That put a striker on the Christmas list of every Charleston Battery fan this past offseason.

So, in an uncommon offseason announcement from the Battery, #SwedishIan was introduced in December 2017.

At 6-foot-6, Ian Svantesson (pronounced svan-TAH-son) is literally a head and shoulder taller than pretty much everyone else on the pitch. Svantesson was signed from the Tulsa Roughnecks in the USL Western Division. In 2017, he led the Roughnecks with 11 goals scored in 31 games.

Technically, he scored 13 goals, but Svantesson’s first USL game, first win and first two USL goals were wiped off the official record after USL issued a forfeit to Tulsa because the team substituted an ineligible player in the 74th minute.

Prior to the Roughnecks, he appeared in six games for NASL side Rayo OKC in 2016.

Svantesson has two connections to Charleston that few Battery fans may know about. First, he graduated from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and was a college teammate of Battery goalkeeper Joe Kuzminsky.

While at UAB, Svantesson appeared in 74 games with the Blazers, scoring 16 goals and earning all-conference honors in each of his four seasons.

The second is through his father, Tobias. The elder, 6-foot-4 Svantesson is a retired Swedish professional tennis player who won two doubles titles, one of those being in Charleston in 1989.

Svantesson has settled in well in the Battery front line. During the Carolina Challenge Cup, he scored both Battery goals, one against Minnesota United and the other against the Columbus Crew.

For our third Beyond the Touchline interview here at Soccer ‘n’ Sweet Tea, we sat down with Svantesson to see how he has adjusted to life in Charleston.

First off, Ian, thank you for doing this with us.

In both high school and at UAB, you played both defender (with great success) and forward. What made you choose being a forward over the back line?

I kind of got put there and kept performing, and when it came down to it, I wanted to be able to have more of an impact on the team’s performance. I felt I had the opportunity to be more impactful as a forward.

What team are you most looking forward to playing against this season?

I’m looking forward to playing Nashville SC. I have two former teammates on that team. (Defenders Kosuke Kimura and Bradley Bourgeois.)

Other than the Battery being your favorite soccer team, what are your favorite teams and players?

I’m a big Zlatan Ibrahimovic fan so I’ve followed his career pretty closely. I guess I kind of have to support the Galaxy now.

What has surprised you most about Charleston? Have you found a favorite place to eat yet?

All the bugs have surprised me. The Junction Kitchen and Provisions in North Charleston is my favorite place to eat so far.

What was the most influential piece of advice someone has given you?

My dad used to tell me that hard work beats talent. When talent doesn’t work, work hard. That’s a mantra that I’ve kept close throughout my career.

For the youth that are playing in local clubs and academies, what advice would you give them that you wish someone had told you when you were in, say, U10 or U13?

Have fun and work hard at practice. Enjoy it when you’re young, because that’s when it’s the best.

Thanks again Ian, and good luck this season.

Be sure to follow Soccer ‘n’ Sweet Tea on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram in 2018. You can also sign up to be a Patron and support what we do: You’ll get a sticker and show us some love at the same time. Finally, sign up for our weekly newsletter below. Up the Battery!