"Guess Who's Coming To America..."

English born, Anton Hysén became European professional soccer's second openly gay athlete 

(after English footballer Justin Fashanu in 1990) when he came out in 2011

Anton Hysen Signs With US-based Myrtle Beach Mutiny Soccer Team
Team in South Carolina signs openly gay pro soccer player, saying he "will bring a positive change to the Mutiny."

Cyd Zeigler
March 8, 2014

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 Hysén .

******

And now another barrier has fallen... I'm not surprised that professional soccer is America's most accepting sport.  Soccer in the U.S. is a youth oriented sport and as we know, the younger generation is not hung up on issues of sexuality in the same ways that the pre-millennials are.

Good Luck Anton!

"Fear Eats the Soul"