Picking up the ball at the halfway line of Stora Valla, a rustic stadium among the trees in the south of Sweden, Matteo de Brienne cut into the middle on his left foot, before deftly clipping a pass through the lines with his right.
As the ball bounced around in midfield he optimistically sprinted forward, his anticipation rewarded when the ball deflected into the path of his GAIS teammate Rasmus Niklasson Petrovic on the left flank. De Brienne drifted into the box with nobody picking up his run. That is, other than Niklasson Petrovic, who chipped the ball in his direction.
Now on the edge of the six-yard box, de Brienne leapt and headed the ball past the goalkeeper from point-blank range and into the net. Seconds later, he was doing his signature front flip celebration in front of the home fans, the one his mom isn't too keen on, but has added an exclamation point to his eight pro goals between Canada and Sweden.
This goal, which opened the scoring in a 3-0 victory for GAIS against Degerfors IF, was de Brienne's first since moving to Sweden from Atlético Ottawa this past winter. After taking some time to adjust to the game in Europe through the first few months of the Allsvenskan season, the 23-year-old full-back from the nation's capital finished the year with 25 appearances in all competitions for a GAIS team that finished third.
"I think it was an incredible season, not only for myself, but also for the team," de Brienne told CanPL.ca.
"The adaptation, I'd say, took a bit of time, the first two months, to try to understand what the coach wanted me to do and everything. But, they're very transparent, I was able to learn a lot, and I think it really helped me through the whole season to finish with a bang."
In particular, said de Brienne, it was an honest conversation he had with the team's coach about where he needed to improve in his play that represented a turning point in the season. More used to playing as a wing-back or even a winger down the left flank, his role with GAIS was more that of a traditional and defensive left-back.
A week after that chat, he made the first of four consecutive starts, scoring his first Allsvenskan goal against Degerfors, and then adding an assist at home against Halmstads BK. He quickly became a regular in a GAIS side that finished third in the Allsvenskan, particularly impressive because this was just their second year in the top flight after a decade spent in the Superettan second division.
Their final position in the table means that GAIS will play continental football next season, earning a spot in the UEFA Conference League qualifiers. GAIS will need to win three home-and-away ties to advance to the league phase of the competition, but de Brienne believes they have all the talent to make a run. They could, as well, still earn a spot in the Europa League through the Swedish Cup, which will be played in May.
"It's a dream come true," said de Brienne. "I feel like every Canadian kid wants to obviously play Champions League football as well. So this is a start for us... we have a great group of guys this year, a lot of hunger, I know the moment we get into those qualifiers, playing against whoever we get, I know it'll be a great game."
That great group will include a familiar face this coming season, as it was announced in October that former Atlético Ottawa teammate Sam Salter had signed a pre-contract with GAIS, and will join the team in January.
"I think he will come straight to Sweden with great momentum," said de Brienne. "I think he'll genuinely come in very strong and really help our team right off the start. So I'm proud of him, and obviously winning the league for the city of Ottawa."
He thinks, given the outstanding supporters' culture in Sweden, that the second Salter does his signature 'Salt Bae' celebration, it will catch on immediately.
On the final day of the Allsvenskan season, as he and his teammates were on the bus back from a match against Malmö, de Brienne watched as Salter and his former side played in the unforgettable 2025 CPL Final at a snow-covered TD Place.
"I was telling myself, 'this is a game I wish I got to play,'" said de Brienne. "This is the most Canadian weather that you could possibly get for a final, and it looked incredible."
During the team event that followed, de Brienne and his girlfriend were glued to his phone, barely talking to anyone as the match went into extra time — where he watched his former teammates make history defeating Cavalry FC 2-1 in a match that drew eyes from all over the globe.
"The next day, I had so many teammates and staff coming to me, like 'isn't this the team you played for last year?'," said de Brienne.
He knows many of his former Atleti teammates dream about playing in Europe someday as well, and this kind of attention can only help in that regard. Having now proven himself in Europe, de Brienne would love to test himself at the international level as well and is doing everything he can to catch the eye of national team manager Jesse Marsch.
"I watch every single men's national team game on TV when I can," said de Brienne. "When the moment's right, I think I'll get my opportunity. It's obviously a dream of mine to represent Canada."
For the moment, however, de Brienne is just focused on trying to build on a successful first season in Sweden. He knows that is the best way to continue to prove himself, and the rest, as it has so far in his young career, will work itself out when the time is right.