Defender says farewell to hometown to play soccer

Samir Bader // Staff Writer

The distance between Miami and Iceland is 3,378 miles, and for freshman defender, Aron Heiddal, leaving the city of Gardabaer, Iceland, to come play the game he loves is an opportunity of a lifetime.  

Standing at 6-foot-2 and wearing the No. 4 jersey, Heiddal uses his talent of controlling the ball and communicating with teammates to make sure that nothing will get past him.  

“It’s different in a way. Everything about facilities and how coaching is done, [and] everyone acting so professionally,” Heiddal said to Student Media. “Back home in Iceland, there is no professional league so players can act more lousy just to have fun.”

Coming from a town where soccer is not taken too seriously, Heiddal thought about what really got him motivated to play.

“Well that’s a hard one,” Heiddal said when asked about his motivation. “The English premier league is more popular than the Iceland premier league. My step father used to play soccer in Iceland, and he got me into it.”  Whether it’s through television, the internet or someone close, soccer, among other sports, travels all over the world to gain someone’s interest. Heiddal is a prime example of just how special this sport can be.  

With a promising freshman year and a college career for Heiddal, the Panthers look to continue defending their Conference USA championship.   Many surrounding the team believe they can take another step forward and gain more respect from their peers all across the nation.  

When asked if his favorite player of all time was a forward or defender, Heiddal said: “First thing that comes to mind is Francisco Totti. He’s a fantastic player and loyal.  I love loyal players.”

FIU men’s soccer team will travel away to play Wake Forest University in North Carolina at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 20.

Bader Buzz is a biweekly column about occurrences in sports at FIU. To contact Samir, email him at samir.bader@fiusm.com.

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