Traustason getting settled in New England
New England Revolution midfielder Arnor Traustason used the mandated downtime to get his house in order.
Major League Soccer shut down for three weeks in adherence with FIFA’s International window and Traustason, a transfer from Iceland, briefly put soccer aside to concentrate on domestic priorities.
“It’s been good, it’s been really good and I finally got my family here so that’s even better,” said Traustason. “We found a place to live and we are all here together now.
“That’s the important thing for me, to spend as much time with my family as I can. It was a good two weeks. I’ve been getting stable both on the field and outside as well.
“My main focus was to get settled outside the field as well as spending more time with the players here, with the staff and with everybody here. Just trying to get more into everything and to train as much as I could.”
The Revolution (5-1-2) resume play in first place in the Eastern Conference and are coming off a 1-0 victory at FC Cincinnati, their only road win of the season. They will encounter New York City FC (3-2-2) tonight at 7:30 at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J.
The Revolution signed Traustason to an international transfer agreement on March 16. Traustason came from Malmo FF in Sweden where he scored 17 goals with 20 assists in more than 100 appearances. Upon completing the deal, Traustason headed back across the Atlantic to participate in the Iceland National team’s UEFA 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Traustason had limited participation in training camp, did not compete in any preseason friendlies in California and missed the season-opener, a 2-2 draw with the Chicago Fire FC at Soldier Field on April 17. He has since undergone a crash course in the rough and tumble of MLS.
“Yeah, it’s way different from what I’m used to,” said Traustason. “It’s high-tempo and it’s a lot of man-to-man and pretty good players on every team.
“It’s different but I like the challenge. It’s a challenge for myself. It was the one challenge that I knew would be here when I came here. I’m just trying to adapt.”
Traustason, 28, has adapted rather nicely, according to the person whose opinion on the subject matters the most, Revolution head coach Bruce Arena. The 6-foot, 185pound “Iceman” has started seven straight games and registered two assists with nine shots and five shots on target.
“He’s doing well,” said Arena. “I thought in the early going that he made the transition pretty smooth and I’ve been surprised.
“Each week he’s getting better and better and we’re real pleased to have him here. I think the club and the style of play we have is wellsuited for Arnor and he’s doing very well.”
The Revolution begin a busy stretch of games with six of the next nine on the road. They will host the New York Red Bulls on Wednesday night and play at Dallas on June 27.
“We are on a streak but we have to keep the momentum going by winning this weekend,” said Traustason. “It’s an important game to get back on track, which we are looking to do.
“So, it’s go to New York, get those three points and get the momentum going. That’s the most important thing.”