Crew sends Naess to Dutch team for cash

Crew SC acquired center back Nicolai Naess from Norwegian club Stabaek last summer with the understanding that he had the potential to be developed and sold to another club.

On Wednesday, the Crew made that sale, announcing it had completed a full transfer of Naess to Dutch Eredivisie club SC Heerenveen. Financial terms of the transfer were not disclosed, but a league source told The Dispatch that the Crew approximately doubled its investment in Naess in a little more than a year.

Naess, a 24-year-old from Norway, made 31 appearances (30 starts) for the Crew during the 2016 and ‘17 seasons and showed the versatility to play center back or defensive midfield.

But he slid down the depth chart in recent months. After starting 12 of the Crew’s first 13 games, he has not appeared in four of the past six.

Coach and sporting director Gregg Berhalter said the decision to sell Naess’ contract depended on what offers the Crew received in the European transfer window.

“We were in no rush to let him go,” Berhalter said. “It was going to have to be a good opportunity for both people and it was something we had to plan with him when he came, here that this was something that we were going to look to do.”

Another factor helping the Crew’s decision was its depth at center back. Josh Williams and designated player Jonathan Mensah have emerged as starters the last two weeks, and rookies Lalas Abubakar and Alex Crognale have mostly done well with their opportunities.

Berhalter commended Naess’ attitude during a difficult time in which he did not play for lengthy stretches for the first time in his professional career.

“Nico was getting less playing time and he wasn’t making the 18 sometimes, and for him it was difficult. He was a true pro throughout this,” Berhalter said. “When this opportunity came up to go to Herenveen, it’s a good league, it’s a league that fits his skill set, and then it was financially beneficial for our club. Everything aligned in this case and helped us meet our objective.”

The Crew’s group of four center backs is one Berhalter envisions will finish out the season.

The move continues a trend for Crew SC this summer of collecting funds and clearing cap room for next season. The team has well over $1 million in cap room.

“I think we’ll be in a position to add three to four starters to our team,” Berhalter said. “I always look at it like wanting to bring in starter-quality players. I think we’ll be in a position with the funds available to bring in some good players.”