OBETZ, Ohio – Columbus Crew SC made their first splash of the summer transfer window on Thursday, and fans should expect to see Norwegian defender Nicolai Naess on the field sooner, rather than later.
At the team’s 452889174" tabindex="0">Thursday training session, Crew SC coach and sporting director Gregg Berhalter said Naess – who joined the club from Norway's Stabaek – was a natural fit for the team in a position of need.
“Watching him play, the first thing is that you have a sense that he’s a guy who wants to win every ball,” Berhalter said. “He’s really aggressive and willing to lay his body on the line to block shots and to get in there. That’s a good quality. The second thing is that he’s a good passer of the ball. We identified him as a guy who can fit into our system. When you bring center backs in, it’s challenging to find guys who can play the way we want to play. But he’s a guy who fit the profile.”
The 23-year-old will likely be asked to contribute right away. Center back has been a revolving door for Columbus, who have had to use a number of different players next to veteran Michael Parkhurst after a long-term injury to Gaston Sauro.
The Norwegian season lines up with MLS, so Naess is in shape and in form. His most recent and final appearance for Stabaek came in a 90-minute outing on Sunday and he has 16 league appearances under his belt in 2016.
“He’s been playing; he’s in-season right now, so that makes it even better,'' Berhalter said. "He’s a guy who will be able to fit right in. It’s going to be up to him and how he can compete for a starting position. He’s a young player – a college-aged player – but we think highly of him. So we’ll see.”
But Berhalter admitted Naess will have to learn the ways of MLS. The league will be “more challenging” for the young defender, said Berhalter, who coached in Sweden before taking the Columbus job. Nevertheless, the Columbus boss expects his new signing to “boost our backline” in 2016.
“He’s going to have to get used to playing against some top strikers,” Berhalter said. “In this league, there are some quality guys at the forward position. So it’s going to be challenging for him. It’s a physical league, it’s a vertical league, there’s a lot of space on the field. In Norway, it’s more compact. So the challenge for him is going to be how quickly he can adapt to space.”
Naess may not be the only “boost” Crew SC fans will get this summer. Owner Anthony Precourt tweeted 452889175" tabindex="0">Thursday that fans should “Expect more activity during this transfer window,” and Berhalter agreed.
“I would expect other signings,” Berhalter said. “That would be my advice.”
