Openly gay European soccer player Anton Hysén has signed with the Myrtle Beach Mutiny of the National Premier Soccer League. Myrtle Beach, in case you didn't know, is in South Carolina and the team, according to gay4soccer,
"are in the fourth division of the American soccer pyramid, on par with
the USL Premier Development League, and eligible for US Open Cup
competition."
So an openly gay professional
soccer player will be playing in South Carolina. Their division features
teams across the Southeast. Not only is it supposed to be "impossible"
for a professional male athlete to be openly gay, but it's "100%
definitely impossible" to do it in South Carolina, Tennessee, George and
the like. Yet Myrtle Beach is doing it. Not so impossible, I guess.
Here's the press release from the team:
March 5, 2014, Myrtle Beach,
S.C. - The Myrtle Beach Mutiny of the National Premier Soccer League
(NPSL) announced Thursday that they have signed international
professional soccer player Anton Hysen for the 2014 season.
Hysén is an English born,
Swedish soccer player who has formerly played for Swedish football club
Utsiktens BK as well as the Swedish national U-17 team.
"I am excited to be joining
the Mutiny this season," said Hysén. "This is a great opportunity for me
on a personal and professional level. I hope I can help take the team
to the top of the NPSL."
"The Mutiny are very excited
to have Anton joining us this year," said Pat Piscitelli, sporting
director for the Mutiny. "A player of his caliber, with his
international experience, will bring a positive change to the Mutiny.
The Myrtle Beach area is in for a real treat with this team and will
have the opportunity to see professional soccer played at a very high
level."
"I am absolutely delighted
to have Anton joining us this summer," said Jack Vandum, head coach for
the Mutiny. "Although he is still relatively young in age he will bring
great experience to the team having played his soccer at a good
professional level in Sweden.
Hysén, the son of former
Liverpool defender and Swedish international Glenn Hysén, was born in
Liverpool England and whose career includes the Swedish U-17 National
Team and Utsiktens BK and a training contract with BK Häcken of the
Swedish top division. He was previously a member of Torslanda IK. His
older brothers are also soccer players Tobias Hysén (half-brother) and
Alexander Hysén.
For everything gay and soccer, head over to gay4soccer.com. They do a great job of covering Robbie Rogers and other gay soccer issues and players like Hysen.
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