Scouting Sviatchenko: A look at the Houston Dynamo’s new center back
(image via Houston Dynamo FC)
The Houston Dynamo recently completed the signing of Danish center back Erik Sviatchenko from FC Midtjylland. With the club continuing to build and bring in players with a winning pedigree, what can we expect him to bring to the field? Toke Theilade, who covers the Danish Superliga where Sviatchenko has played most recently, joined us to help answer some questions about Houston’s newest signing.
What can you tell us about Sviatchenko’s game, what kind of a defender is he?
Sviatchenko is more or less a complete defender. He is experienced and has played at a high level for a long time. He was a star at Celtic before returning home to Midtjylland and remains well liked in Scotland. He's also played Champions League and national team matches and proven himself at that level.
He is great on the ball with high level passing skills. He is calm and rarely makes mistakes. He can thus be used as a ball playing defender for teams that like to build up from the back.
Defensively he is strong in the air and great in both marking and tackling. His positioning is great too, and he is tough to beat one on one.
Sviatchenko is also a leader. He is a club legend at Midtjylland and became captain at a young age.
What are the biggest strengths and weaknesses in his game?
He doesn't have any glaring weaknesses, but he is not the tallest defender at only 6 feet tall.
What he lacks in height, he makes up for in intelligence though. His father was a professor at the University of Kharkiv in Ukraine, and his brother is one of Denmark's leading political experts on eastern Europe.
Why a move to MLS at this point in his career?
Sviatchenko has been too good for FCM for a long time, but his love for the club kept him there. This season has been a mess though as FCM have gone through three different coaches and are unable to fight for the championship.
Sviatchenko has revealed that he preferred not to be part of another rebuild and felt ready for a new challenge. He also said that he would have stayed if the club needed him.
The extended transfer window in MLS made it an obvious choice, as he would otherwise have had to wait until the summer. Also, he was unlikely to go to a big club in Europe due to his age. So, the combination of the experience of living in the USA plus a nice salary made MLS an obvious choice
We’ve seen other Danish players like Andreas Maxso join MLS with Colorado. How do you think the Danish SuperLiga would compare to MLS as far as style of play and stature?
MLS is becoming a popular choice for Superliga stars. This winter, Colorado signed Maxsø, Portland signed Evander and Toronto signed Sigurd Rosted - all from Denmark. Previously we have seen Mikael Uhre of Philadelphia and Hany Mukhtar of Nashville take the same route.
MLS is enticing for these players who are a little older and unlikely to get massive deals in Europe. Instead of going to mid or bottom table clubs, they opt for the adventure in the US, and they are doing well.
I think these players are much more motivated than the likes of Gonzalo Higuain, etc., as this is their big chance and adventure. They want to prove themselves and make the most of it. Also, they are of course trying to use the spotlight of MLS to earn bigger moves potentially down the line. I think we'll only see more of these transfers as these players become successful. So far, the hit rate has been incredible with Mukhtar and Uhre’s success already.
Anything else you would like to add?
The level of the top Superliga clubs is overall higher in my opinion and our players are tactically well educated and ambitious. However, the league lacks the superstars found in MLS. But based on what we've seen already, MLS seems to be a great next step for the slightly older stars of our league.
Overall, I think Houston fans should be excited to see Sviatchenko. He is not a huge name, but he is a fantastic player. He brings experience and dedication with him, and he can elevate the players around him. Him and Maxsø were the best central defenders in the Superliga. He is also a good person and character. He’s done a lot of charity to help the Ukrainian victims of Russia's invasion recently too.
