PORTLAND, Ore. – The Portland Pilots have brought in junior attacker Anton Hjalmarsson for the 2025 fall season.
"We are pleased to welcome Anton to the Pilot Family," Portland head coach Nick Carlin-Voigt said. "He comes from a humble background in Sweden and had two great years at the NCAA Division II level where he was All- American and player of the year in his conference. He played for a top program at Fort Lewis that's among the best in the country and are well-coached. He's powerful, quick and can play both wide spots, centrally or underneath to help build and finish attacks. He has soft feet and can bring others into the game with a final pass. We think his best is ahead once he adapts full-time to the demands of our program."
Hjalmarsson excelled with the Fort Lewis Skyhawks, an NCAA Tournament team in Division II, scoring 20 goals with 13 assists over two years. He was dominant his freshman season, being named the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year after scoring 33 points with 11 goals and 11 assists while leading the Skyhawks to an RMAC Regular Season Title. That same year, he was named a D2CCA First-Team All-South Central Region pick and was also a D2CCA Second Team All-American as he led the team to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Last season, Hjalmarsson battled injury but still scored nine goals and tallied two assists in 12 matches (11 starts). His nine goals still tied for the team lead. Hjalmarsson was an RMAC All-Tournament Team selection after scoring two goals against the Regis Rangers to send the Skyhawks to the RMAC Tournament championship. Hjalmarsson joined the Pilots this past spring.
"Having Anton join us in the spring was great for his transition and development as was exposed to the jump in intensity and competition," Carlin-Voigt said. "We have experienced success with other D2 players namely Pilot great Nick Denley so believe the pathway is there for Anton to unlock his full potential. Anton knows the opportunity at hand here in Soccer City USA and we welcome him to the Bluff for his last two years in college soccer."
This past season, the Pilots finished at 7-4-7 overall and 4-0-4 in WCC play, ending the year on a 10-game unbeaten streak that was the longest on the West Coast and the third longest in the country. They earned four wins over teams that finished in the top 35 in RPI this season as well. They have achieved a top 10 ranking nationally in each of the last three seasons and led the country in goals scored between the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
The Pilots have also had 12 players move on to play in MLS since Nick Carlin-Voigt took over as head coach in 2016. Eight players have been drafted, with Paul Christensen, Rey Ortiz, Kevin Bonilla, Jacob Babalai and Buba Fofanah all being taken in the MLS SuperDraft. Efetobo Aror and Nick Fernandez were taken in the first and second round in this year's SuperDraft as well, with Fernandez signing with the San Jose Earthquakes in February. Benji Michel and Kris Reaves each signed homegrown contracts with Orlando SC and FC Dallas respectively back in 2018 while Delentz Pierre and Brandon Cambridge each signed with Real Salt Lake and Charlotte FC in 2022 and Tommy Musto signed with LAFC in 2024.
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