



Fanendo Adi was signed by the Crew to be Gyasi Zardes’ backup a week ago, a move that raised eyebrows after a turbulent season with FC Cincinnati in which Adi was injured, had a public falling out with management and scored once in 12 games.

Even Crew coach Caleb Porter, who knows Adi from the four seasons they spent together with the Portland Timbers, had some trepidation about signing him. But Porter came away from a meeting with Adi convinced that the striker was ready to put last year behind him.

“There was a pause, for sure,” Porter said Tuesday in a teleconference with local media. “But at the same time, players are humans. We're all humans. People make mistakes.

“I spoke with Adi. I had a good conversation with him. He admitted it was a tough and difficult year last year. He seemed to have his head screwed on right. He was really hungry. He wanted to be with Columbus.”

Adi was charged with speeding, operating a vehicle under the influence and an invalid license by the Ohio State Highway Patrol during the season and later publicly acknowledged a rift with FC Cincinnati general manager Gerard Nijkamp and coach Ron Jans.

Porter said he probably spends more time vetting players he previously coached than new players when assessing if they will be a good fit for the Crew. That was no exception with Adi, who had been waived by Cincinnati.

“We don't leave any stone unturned,” Porter said. “I would just say we were probably more careful than ever making sure that it was the right move.”

The low hit on the salary cap, reportedly $205,000, compared with Adi’s nearly $2 million salary was a huge reason he was signed, with Porter calling the deal “too good to pass up.”

Porter believes Adi is in the right mental state to be the second striker and someone who will push Zardes.

“Gyasi needs to be pushed,” Porter said. “He needs to know there's a guy breathing down his neck. Ultimately that's going to make Gyasi perform and be hungry and be even better than he is.”

jmyers@dispatch.com

@Jacob_Myers_25