Meram picks up where he left off in return to Crew

“I think for me, that chapter, I’ve closed and I haven’t really thought about those decisions of why I left.”

Less than a day after Crew SC completed a trade to bring back Justin Meram, the midfielder boarded a flight, arrived in Columbus and completed his first training session with his new — and former — team.

The 29-year-old, who was drafted 15th overall out of Michigan by Crew SC in 2011 and played his first seven seasons with the club, said he’s the same “goofy guy” he was prior to being traded to Orlando City in January.

“With less hair,” he said Friday after the Crew’s practice.

The benefit of Meram rejoining the Crew, coach and sporting director Gregg Berhalter said, is that the team is well aware of his capabilities and how he fits into its build-andattack style on the wing. Prior to a rough stint in Orlando in which Meram scored just one goal and had three assists in 17 appearances, he completed arguably his best season in a Crew uniform.

Meram scored a career-high 13 goals with seven assists in 2017 for a Crew SC team that reached the Eastern Conference finals.

“We know exactly what he can do,” Berhalter said. “The adaptation time is gonna be virtually nothing. We know how he can help us and how he can help this group create chances. I think that was an important factor.”

The Crew sees the trade as a good value, Berhalter said, and a potential boost to its performance. The team’s wide attacking midfielder group has combined for just two goals through 23 games in 2018.

Berhalter said the organization didn’t take Meram’s trade request personally. Crew SC’s Justin Meram

“I think players’ perspectives change. This was never a personal issue, and we were very supportive of Justin when he left,” Berhalter said. “In the same sense, when we heard that he potentially wanted to come back here, we were open to it and we want to build the best possible team we can.”

Said Meram of his offseason trade request: “I think for me, that chapter, I’ve closed and I haven’t really thought about those decisions of why I left. For me, right now, it’s honestly zeroing in on this group and how quickly I can get on the field and help.”

The funny thing, Berhalter said, was the feel of Friday’s training session. It was almost like Meram was back from a six-month trip.

“He walks out on the field and it’s just like normal again,” Berhalter said. “It was like, ‘Oh yeah, we haven’t seen you in a while.’”

Meram’s addition to the roster still leaves a few open questions for the Crew. One is whether, with five days left in the secondary transfer window, the team transfers in another piece to bolster the offense. Another is how the Crew deals with the dynamic of having seven wingers on its roster with two spots on the field available.

The immediate task, however, is getting Meram fit and channeling his motivation coming off a subpar six months in Orlando.

“Yeah, why not?” Meram said. “Why not use that as a little motivation? That never hurt.”