SAO PAULO, Brazil – Columbus Crew SC midfielder Wil Trapp recently joined Columbus Crew SC in Sao Paulo, Brazil, to participate in his first day of preseason training camp on Saturday. Having missed the first week of camp due to duty with the United States National Team, Trapp took the time to share his thoughts on what it’s like to be training in Brazil.

“It’s exciting,” said Trapp. “I think it’s great to be immersed in a culture that’s so passionate about the game and I think for us it’s cool to step out of the comfort zone of the U.S. and really have to bond and come together as a group.”

The 24-year-old midfielder shared some of his goals during preseason, making it clear that he’s not only looking to lay the groundwork for what he hopes will be a fruitful MLS season, but also to further develop some of his intangible traits.

“Right now, it’s just about familiarizing myself with the new guys in camp," Trapp said. "Really, just getting back into what this is about in terms of setting the necessary steps for what will be a successful 2017: The hard work, the concepts the coaching staff want us to grab onto, and really growing into a leadership role."

Trapp is right to want to familiarize himself with the “new guys” in camp, given that the Black & Gold have nine players in this preseason camp that were not with the club at the end of last season. But while it can take players some time to adapt to new systems, Trapp believes that the players in the camp shouldn’t have too hard of a time adapting to Crew SC’s distinct style.

“I think we do a good job of bringing players into Crew SC that coaches see can be successful playing this way," he said. "More than likely they’ve played a similar style before."

With little over a month to go before the 2017 MLS regular season begins, Trapp wants fans back in Columbus to know that he and the rest of his teammates have set high expectations for themselves.

“We’re going to do everything we can right now and moving into the season to make it the most successful 2017 we can," Trapp said. "The standards are going to be high, the expectations are high for us as players and collectively, and we’re going to do everything we can to follow through with them.”