This Is the Los Angeles Sol: Johanna Frisk

Part Six in a series of articles that make up the players of the 2009 Los Angeles Sol.

When one thinks of that Swedish Damallsvenskan powerhouse that is Umea IK, the Manchester United of Swedish women's football (okay, maybe it's too big of a stretch to say that; it's more toward a Chelsea or Arsenal if you consider Djurgardens), one thinks of Marta Vieira da Silva.

Indeed, the Brazilian sensation has been the backbone behind Los Angeles's current success.

But did you know that there is another player from Umea that is from Sweden on our roster?

Yes, indeed.

And that player is defender Johanna Frisk. (Who is a fan of Manchester United, by the way—hence my previous comparison.)

Frisk's road to joining her fellow teammate has been a topic of discussion ever since she signed. But if you were to think that her acquisition was all a ploy to have Marta on the team, you are sadly mistaken.

The Swedish international is a strong player in her own right, and has provided depth defensively for Abner Rogers' club this year.

Johanna Frisk was born on March 19, 1986 in Björklinge, Sweden. Björklinge is a small town of 3,186 (as of 2006) in Uppsala County, bordering the Baltic Sea and the counties of Södermanland, Västmanland, Gävleborg, and Stockholm.

Uppsala, the capital of the County, is the seat of the only archbishop of the Lutheran Church of Sweden, the country's largest church. It is also the home of Uppsala University, founded in 1477, and is one of the world's top 100 universities.

Frisk began her footballing career as a member of Sportklubben IRON, a co-ed sports club in Björklinge which also fields teams in tennis, table tennis, ice hockey, and bandy—which is a sport similar to ice hockey but with different rules and uses a ball instead of a puck.

It was through SK Iron that she built her footballing foundation of talent. It was in 2006 when she signed with Umea IK and played three seasons with Marta, who was already making a name for herself with the club.

After playing a supporting role in winning league titles in 2006, 2007, and 2008 along with runner-up finishes in 2007 and 2008, Frisk was selected by the Los Angeles Sol as a Post-Draft Discovery Player in Women's Professional Soccer (WPS).

However, the move was met with unrestrained contempt by those in her homeland.

Patrick Ekwall, a news anchorman for TV4, one of Sweden's major television networks, went so far in his blog to say (and this is a paraphrase), "The move makes a mockery of women's football here in this country. Johanna Frisk is not a superstar, and she was only recruited to Los Angeles because of her relationship with Marta."

Not a superstar, the pundits say? 

Nothing can be farther from the truth.

She already is part of a company of stars, gracing alongside Aya Miyama, Han Duan, Camille Abily, Karina LeBlanc, Martina Franko, Shannon Boxx, and Stephanie Cox. 

There is a phrase in Latin, one which is the state motto of New Mexico: Crescit Eundo. It grows as it goes. The possibility, if not inevitability, of Frisk playing a more significant role as a defender grows as she gets more playing time in the WPS.

Already she is on the roster for the 2009 team that will be competing in UEFA Women's Euro 2009 in Finland.

There will be people who will say that Johanna Frisk has no right to be playing with the best team in WPS right now. There will be those who rub their chins and wonder why Frisk even set foot on American soil, saying "You can't say Frisk without 'Risk."

That's true, and those detractors will be there. But respect cannot be given; it must be earned.

And with an under-the-radar player like the No. 21 making her presence on the field with the best the world has to offer on Victoria Street, the respect will come.

Sounds like a "Frisk" well taken, isn't it?