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Buster Sjoberg watched his older sister Elvira from the sideline. At 4 years old, Sjoberg was too young to attend her soccer club. But Sjoberg desperately wanted to play. So, he joined.

“It worked out very well. He became a favorite among other teams, especially among the leaders on his sister’s team,” said Kjell Sjoberg, Buster’s father.

Playing up with Elvira spurred the start of many athletic accomplishments for Sjoberg. After playing for IK Sirius in Sweden during high school, Sjoberg started playing for Wofford College in 2019. Two years later, he transferred to Syracuse for his junior season. Now, as a team captain in his third and final season with the Orange, Sjoberg has played in 11-of-12 games and recorded SU’s lone goal in a 1-0 win over then-No. 13 North Carolina. Upon graduation this winter, Sjoberg will join the Vancouver Whitecaps of Major League Soccer, who drafted him with the 71st pick in the 2023 MLS SuperDraft.

Like Elvira, who played center-back for Division I Swedish women’s soccer, Sjoberg excelled defensively. He joined IK Sirius, a highly regarded Swedish soccer academy, when he was 15. For three years, Sjoberg played weekly matches domestically and occasionally traveled to the Netherlands and Denmark for games.

“He’s got the instincts to defend. That’s not so common,” said Conny Sveijer, the developmental director of Sirius Academy. “Every player wants to score goals and be the big, famous hotshot, but not Buster. He’s put in a very big effort to defend the goal.”

Sjoberg’s defensive skills translated to other traditional Swedish sports. He played handball, floorball and bandy — which is similar to hockey, but uses a ball instead of a puck and a larger rink. In 2015, Sjoberg was selected to participate in a U16 Swedish National bandy camp. Katarina Sjoberg, Buster’s mother, remembers that when he was 16, Sjoberg won Swedish championships in soccer and bandy with his school in a one-month span.

While many of his high school bandy teammates chose to play professionally throughout Scandinavia and Russia, Sjoberg pursued soccer. After winning the U19 regional title with Sirius soccer, Sjoberg played at the Swedish Premiership and Championship levels, the most competitive leagues for his age. Sjoberg later appeared in 40 games for Sirius’s U21 team before moving up to Division 2 competition for Gamla Upsala SK in his hometown of Uppsala, Sweden.

“He’s always been first to the pitch, and always left the pitch later than the other guys. He’s very polite and was nice to train because he always wanted to do his best,” Sveijer said.

Sjoberg attended Celsiusskolan, a sports-focused high school. When he graduated in 2018, Sjoberg told his parents he wanted to play collegiate soccer in the U.S. Kjell and Katarina were shocked.

Throwing it back to the first half with Buster's goal. :tangerine:

Watch: https://t.co/yHiRnAGmBI #DareToDream pic.twitter.com/dsf0BAVadA

— Syracuse Men's Soccer (@CuseMSOC) October 7, 2023

After consulting with an agent, lawyers and relatives, Sjoberg’s parents gave him the green light. Sjoberg enrolled at Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Though he grew up learning English, it took time for Sjoberg to get used to American culture.

“The first time I sat down with the team at lunch, I understood some things, but there were some things I didn’t. I think learning and really speaking and understanding everything was the biggest adjustment at the beginning,” Sjoberg said.

During Sjoberg’s two years on the team, Wofford struggled. The Terriers won just five out of their 27 games. Sjoberg decided to leave while on vacation in Alabama for spring break. Adrian Roseth, his best friend on the squad, announced he was transferring to St. John’s. Sjoberg followed suit.

“The main reason he wanted to leave was to have a decent chance to get drafted,” Kjell said.

Sjoberg connected with a handful of schools around the country, including Oral Roberts, Loyola and teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Yet, Syracuse stood out. Katarina had relatives who emigrated to western and central New York in the early 20th century. A few attended SU in the 1940s and 1950s. Kjell said it was an excellent opportunity to advance his education while continuing his soccer development.

Sjoberg quickly became a fixture on the backline for the Orange, starting in 17 of 18 matches in 2021. Last year, his defensive presence led Syracuse to nine clean sheets over his 19 games played.

“We are proud of him today for what he’s doing on the other side of the ocean,” Sveijer said.

Despite early success in the 2022 ACC Tournament against UNC, a lower-body injury kept Sjoberg out for the remainder of the season. Following Syracuse’s National Championship run, Vancouver selected Sjoberg in the third round of the MLS SuperDraft. Instead of joining the team immediately, Sjoberg opted to rehab and play one final season with the Orange. He will join the Whitecaps at preseason camp in January 2024. Amidst 15 new transfers, Sjoberg’s familiarity has provided a boost to SU’s defense.

“He has that confidence, and his distribution is terrific,” head coach Ian McIntyre said. “Having Buster back and having him available for selection on a consistent basis will be very important as we go down the stretch.”

For Sjoberg, it’s one more chance to refine his skills before going pro, a goal he’s had since first watching his sister play.

“I try to be myself on the field, doing what I do best,” Sjoberg said. “The coaches do a good job of putting me in positions where I thrive.”

Published on October 11, 2023 at 11:36 pm