Nicolai Naess arrived to Columbus Crew SC in late July of 2016 with a decent amount of fanfare within the market.
The young defender from Stabæk appeared to be a good fit for Gregg Berhalter’s possession-based style of play.
“Nico came in and fit the mold of what we were looking for from passing as a center back and the midfield position,” Berhalter said. “He gave us great long-range passing, which we were able to take advantage of and he gave us some some controlled possession from the back.”
Naess proved his worth over the final 13 games of the 2016 season and in the early portions of 2017, but his form fell off in early June and he struggled to find it again, making just two starts for Crew SC since June 3.