Mikkel Diskerud
Encyclopedia
Mikkel "Mix" Morgenstar Pålssønn Diskerud (born October 2, 1990) is a Norwegian
-born American
soccer player currently playing for Tippeligaen
club Stabæk. Internationally, he played for both Norwegian and American national youth teams, but he has declared his intent to only play for the United States.
, and was discovered by Stabæk during a district tournament in Oslo
. He joined their junior team in 2005, at the same time attending the sport school Norwegian College of Elite Sport. Starting in the 2006 season
, he played regularly for the club's B team in the Norwegian Second Division
over the next seasons. In 2008 he also helped the club's junior team win the Norwegian Junior Cup (U-19).
He made his debut for the first team in a 2008 Norwegian Football Cup match against Vestfossen IF
. He was then named in the starting eleven in the 2009 La Manga Cup
, scoring after two minutes in his first match. He also played as a substitute in the Super Final, the Norwegian Super Cup
, one week before the league opener. He was benched in the opening match, but in the second match against SK Brann, he was allowed to make his debut in a regular first-team match. He came in as a substitute some ten minutes before full time and scored the equalizer in the 84th minute; the game ended 1–1. He played his first UEFA Champions League match as an 18-year-old on July 15, 2009 when Stabæk took on Tirana in Albania.
After spending 2009 as a very active substitute, Diskerud moved into the starting lineup in 2010, and has since cemented himself as an integral member of Stabæk's midfield.
, making him eligible to represent either the United States
or Norway
. In April 2008 he played a tournament for the United States under-20's team
, recording three assists during a game against Northern Ireland. A month later, he played for the Norwegian under-18's team against the United States. In 2009 he played for the Norwegian under-19's team. He was once again called-up for the USA U-20s squad in a friendly against Egypt where he recorded a goal in the 1-0 victory in Egypt.
On November 11, 2010, Diskerud received a call-up to the USMNT. His first senior international cap came on November 17, 2010 against South Africa in the Nelson Mandela Challenge Cup, where he came on as a substitute and assisted on the game-winning goal scored by Juan Agudelo
.
", meaning that he will respond to the first international call-up from either country. In March 2009 he stated that he "feels American" and would likely accept any future call ups but had not heard from US Soccer since the youth tournament in Portugal eleven months earlier. Only weeks later, in mid-April, after several strong performances for his Norwegian club, Stabæk, early in the 2009 season, he was contacted by US Soccer about attending an under-20's camp in May; he had to turn down the invitation due to his role on his club and that the camp falls during the Norwegian season. However, Diskerud traveled with the U.S. under-20 team to Egypt in June 2009 for one of two friendlies, and he scored his first goal with the United States U-20 in the first of the two friendlies against Egypt. His appearance in the Egyptian friendly signaled his final choice for international play, saying "I am a Norwegian-American. I would love to play for both countries, but I can't. I had said first come - first served, in order to let fate take control, I guess. My agent has informed my club and the Norwegian Federation of my decision..."
.
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
-born American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
soccer player currently playing for Tippeligaen
Tippeligaen
Tippeligaen is a Norwegian professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the Norwegian football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. The league is also unofficially known under its neutral name Eliteserien , although the name has never been official...
club Stabæk. Internationally, he played for both Norwegian and American national youth teams, but he has declared his intent to only play for the United States.
Club career
Diskerud started his career in FriggFrigg Oslo FK
Frigg Oslo Fotballklubb is a Norwegian sports club from Majorstua in Oslo. It has sections for association football and bandy.It was founded on 17 May 1904 as SK Frigg, named after Frigg of Norse mythology. It was merged on 21 April 1954 with SK Varg. It took the name Frigg Oslo FK in 1990. The...
, and was discovered by Stabæk during a district tournament in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
. He joined their junior team in 2005, at the same time attending the sport school Norwegian College of Elite Sport. Starting in the 2006 season
Norwegian Second Division 2006
The 2006 season of the 2. divisjon, the third highest football league for men in Norway.26 games were played in 4 groups, with 3 points given for wins and 1 for draws. Notodden, Skeid, Mandalskameratene and Raufoss were promoted to the First Division. Number twelve, thirteen and fourteen were...
, he played regularly for the club's B team in the Norwegian Second Division
Norwegian Second Division
The Norwegian Second Division is the third highest division of the Norwegian football league system. Since 2009, the official name of the league has been Fair Play-ligaen....
over the next seasons. In 2008 he also helped the club's junior team win the Norwegian Junior Cup (U-19).
He made his debut for the first team in a 2008 Norwegian Football Cup match against Vestfossen IF
Vestfossen IF
Vestfossen Idrettsforening is a Norwegian sports club from Vestfossen, Øvre Eiker, Buskerud. It has sections for association football, team handball, Nordic skiing, gymnastics and tennis.It was founded on 20 January 1910....
. He was then named in the starting eleven in the 2009 La Manga Cup
La Manga Cup
La Manga Cup is a winter football tournament played in La Manga del Mar Menor . Usual participants are clubs from countries with a summer football season: Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Norway, Russia, Ukraine, and the United States and Canada. The first cup was played in 1999 which was won by Rosenborg...
, scoring after two minutes in his first match. He also played as a substitute in the Super Final, the Norwegian Super Cup
Super Cup
A Super Cup is a competition, usually but not exclusively in football, which often forms the curtain-raiser to a season. Most Super Cups are one-off fixtures between the League Champions and major Cup Winners of the previous season. Sometimes these are two-legged affairs, with a match played at...
, one week before the league opener. He was benched in the opening match, but in the second match against SK Brann, he was allowed to make his debut in a regular first-team match. He came in as a substitute some ten minutes before full time and scored the equalizer in the 84th minute; the game ended 1–1. He played his first UEFA Champions League match as an 18-year-old on July 15, 2009 when Stabæk took on Tirana in Albania.
After spending 2009 as a very active substitute, Diskerud moved into the starting lineup in 2010, and has since cemented himself as an integral member of Stabæk's midfield.
Career statistics
| Season | Club | Division | League | Cup | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| 2008 2008 in Norwegian football The 2008-season is the 103. season of competitive football in Norway.*Tippeligaen 2008 *Adeccoligaen 2008 *Norwegian Football Cup 2008*Toppserien 2008 -Men's national team:... |
Stabæk | Tippeligaen Tippeligaen Tippeligaen is a Norwegian professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the Norwegian football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. The league is also unofficially known under its neutral name Eliteserien , although the name has never been official... |
0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 2009 2009 in Norwegian football The 2009-season is the 104. season of competitive football in Norway.*2009 Tippeligaen *2009 Adeccoligaen *2009 Norwegian Football Cup*2009 Toppserien -Men's national team:... |
Tippeligaen Tippeligaen Tippeligaen is a Norwegian professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the Norwegian football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. The league is also unofficially known under its neutral name Eliteserien , although the name has never been official... |
21 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 25 | 4 | |
| 2010 2010 in Norwegian football The 2010-season is the 105. season of competitive football in Norway.*2010 Tippeligaen *2010 Adeccoligaen *2010 Norwegian Football Cup*2010 Toppserien -Men's national team:... |
Tippeligaen Tippeligaen Tippeligaen is a Norwegian professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the Norwegian football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. The league is also unofficially known under its neutral name Eliteserien , although the name has never been official... |
30 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 33 | 6 | |
| 2011 2011 in Norwegian football The 2011-season is the 106. season of competitive football in Norway.The season began on 18 March 2011 for Tippeligaen, 03 April 2011 for Adeccoligaen, with Fair Play ligaen and 3. Divisjon both starting six days later on 09 April 2011. 2. Divisjon, and 3... |
Tippeligaen Tippeligaen Tippeligaen is a Norwegian professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the Norwegian football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. The league is also unofficially known under its neutral name Eliteserien , although the name has never been official... |
29 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 30 | 3 | |
| Career Total | 80 | 10 | 11 | 3 | 91 | 13 | ||
International career
Diskerud's mother is from ArizonaArizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, making him eligible to represent either the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
or Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. In April 2008 he played a tournament for the United States under-20's team
United States U-20 men's national soccer team
The United States U-20 men's national soccer team is the national under-20 soccer team of the United States of America and is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation. The highest level of competition in which the team competes is the FIFA U-20 World Cup, which is held every two years.The...
, recording three assists during a game against Northern Ireland. A month later, he played for the Norwegian under-18's team against the United States. In 2009 he played for the Norwegian under-19's team. He was once again called-up for the USA U-20s squad in a friendly against Egypt where he recorded a goal in the 1-0 victory in Egypt.
On November 11, 2010, Diskerud received a call-up to the USMNT. His first senior international cap came on November 17, 2010 against South Africa in the Nelson Mandela Challenge Cup, where he came on as a substitute and assisted on the game-winning goal scored by Juan Agudelo
Juan Agudelo
Juan Sebastián Agudelo is a Colombian-born American soccer player. He currently plays for the New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer....
.
Dual nationality
In February 2009, when asked about his future plans for international play, he replied that it does not really matter which country he represents. He used the phrase "first-come, first-servedFirst-come, first-served
First-come, first-served – sometimes first-in, first-served and first-come, first choice – is a service policy whereby the requests of customers or clients are attended to in the order that they arrived, without other biases or preferences. The policy can be employed when processing sales orders,...
", meaning that he will respond to the first international call-up from either country. In March 2009 he stated that he "feels American" and would likely accept any future call ups but had not heard from US Soccer since the youth tournament in Portugal eleven months earlier. Only weeks later, in mid-April, after several strong performances for his Norwegian club, Stabæk, early in the 2009 season, he was contacted by US Soccer about attending an under-20's camp in May; he had to turn down the invitation due to his role on his club and that the camp falls during the Norwegian season. However, Diskerud traveled with the U.S. under-20 team to Egypt in June 2009 for one of two friendlies, and he scored his first goal with the United States U-20 in the first of the two friendlies against Egypt. His appearance in the Egyptian friendly signaled his final choice for international play, saying "I am a Norwegian-American. I would love to play for both countries, but I can't. I had said first come - first served, in order to let fate take control, I guess. My agent has informed my club and the Norwegian Federation of my decision..."
Personal life
It was his mother who coined his nickname "Mix" when he was learning to walk and ran around the house like a mixmasterMixer (cooking)
A mixer is a kitchen appliance intended for mixing, folding, beating, and whipping food ingredients. Mixers come in two major variations, hand mixers and stand mixers....
.
External links
- Profil: Mikkel Diskerud, #21 at Stabæk Fotball
- Player Database: Mikkel Diskerud at Yanks-Abroad.com