Goodbye, Ishi: Stefan Ishizaki Heads Home to Sweden
- Updated: July 9, 2015
(Picture @LAGalaxy)
I woke up on July 5th and looked at my phone to see a notification from the LA Galaxy’s Facebook page. It said, “An open letter from Stefan Ishizaki.” At first, my half-awake brain couldn’t comprehend what it meant, but as I woke up more, I understood—my favorite Swede (sorry Zlatan), Stefan Ishizaki was leaving the Galaxy.
Stefan Ishizaki’s career with the LA Galaxy started on January 30, 2014, when he signed with the team. He just finished an eight-year career with IF Elfsborg in Sweden, his home country before moving to Los Angeles.
He announced in the post-game celebration on July 4th that their win against Toronto FC would be his last game in a LA Galaxy jersey. It concluded an 18-month career in America in which he played in 50 matches and started in 41 of them. The best part of his Galaxy career—he helped the team win a record 5th MLS Cup.
Why is Stefan Ishizaki leaving the Galaxy? Well, he and his wife are expecting again—this time with twin boys. They already have a son, so it will be a bigger handful with three kids. Ishi has chosen to move back to Sweden in order to finish his soccer career at home and to be closer to family so they will have more hands on deck when the twins arrive. Family—a very respectable reason to leave any job. How can you say no?
An excellent player, we will all miss Stefan Ishizaki. He became a part of the LA Galaxy family, and he’ll never be forgotten. Leaving such a close-knit community is never easy, and he called it “one of the hardest decisions that I’ve ever had to make.”
Everyone in the Galaxy community wishes you the best of luck with the birth of your twins, with your next club, and in your post-soccer career. It is with utmost respect that I say:
Goodbye, Ishi. You’ve been an exciting player to watch, and thank you for spending these last 18 months with us.
Stefan Ishizaki — Player Profile
An open letter from Stefan Ishizaki
Stay with us at Calisportsnews.com as we will keep you up-to-date on all things LA Galaxy and the rest of the LA sports teams! All Cali, all the time!
Related Posts
About Patrick Salkeld
