For a country of around 400,000 people, Iceland has developed a rich tradition of soccer excellence, holding the achievement of being the second-smallest nation — in terms of population — to reach the World Cup.
Despite its small population, Icelandic natives can be found playing all around the world — including Williamsburg, Va.
Hailing from the tiny town of Reydarfjordur, Iceland, sophomore midfielder Thor Sigurjonsson has quickly established himself as a consistent contributor for William and Mary men’s soccer. Over his first two seasons, Sigurjonsson has started all 30 matches for head coach Chris Norris ’95.
Despite his success in Williamsburg, Sigurjonsson’s decision to leave home and test his luck in the United States was by no means an easy one.
“I had heard about a lot of players that went and had been successful and loved it here, others that did not so much, and left after a year or so,” Sigurjonsson said. “I decided to take the chance.”
After undergoing the recruitment process with the agency Soccer & Education USA, Sigurjonsson came into contact with Norris.
While many players make visits to potential schools during their time in high school, Sigurjonsson made no visits to Williamsburg before he decided to commit; nevertheless, he was convinced.
“Coach came to Iceland and met with me there, and other coaches did not do that, so that was a big part of my decision,” Sigurjonsson said.
Upon his arrival in the U.S. before the 2024 season, Sigurjonsson worked through many challenges.
“[The] language barrier, the academics here [with] everything in English, so that showed in my GPA, which has only gone up since my first semester,” Sigurjonsson said.
It was not just the language adaptation that Sigurjonsson had to work through, but also the weather. Summer temperatures in Williamsburg were not like anything he had experienced in Iceland.
“Coming here in August and training in this heat was brutal at first, but I have gotten used to it now,” Sigurjonsson said.
Comparing the game he grew up playing between Iceland and the U.S., Sigurjonsson noticed some key differences.
“I feel like the college game and the MLS, it is a lot more physical,” Sigurjonsson said.
Sigurjonsson said that there is more emphasis placed on skilled and smaller players in European play.
Despite these differences, Sigurjonsson feels that he has translated well to the American game.
“I do not feel like I had to adjust my game style because I kind of fit the description of a college player — just fit and strong,” he said.
Having started every game so far, Sigurjonsson hopes to help improve the team’s results heading into his junior season.
“Result-wise, it has been difficult, but I could see us do well next year with the incoming players and also the improvements of the whole team,” Sigurjonsson said.
While Sigurjonsson now features almost exclusively as a midfielder, this was not always the case.
“I started as a winger,” he said. “I think it was the first time [for] under-17s that I switched to midfield.”
While his first two years in the U.S. have been successful at a personal level, Sigurjonsson still reminisces on his dream of playing professionally, one he held growing up in Iceland.
“When I took the decision, I kind of gave up on maybe the pro dream,” Sigurjonsson said. “It is not fully out of the picture, but I had accepted at that time that I was maybe not going pro.”
Sigurjonsson is taking the long view with his William and Mary experience.
“Whether I will stay here after school or if I will go home, I think that degree will help me a lot,” he said.
