One down, two to go.

In what was beginning to seem like the never-ending wait, Brazilian midfielder/defender Maykon - one of the Ottawa Fury FC's three foreign signings still missing from training - made his first appearance at training camp.

He didn't actually participate - that would have been a tad cruel after he flew all night and touched down in Ottawa early Wednesday. But there he was shortly before practice started, chatting on the pitch with agent Kevin Antunes and Fury head coach Marc Dos Santos.

"I'm very happy," Maykon, who goes by one name, said in Portuguese, with his agent translating.

He said it was "a little bit of a hassle" getting over here, with a long wait for his visa, but "now, I'm relaxed."

Dos Santos wasn't exactly doing back flips of excitement at the new arrival - he's quick to point out he won't completely happy until Maykon is joined by fellow signings Vinicius Dantas and Hamza Elias. But he was happy to see some movement and to have one his bigger signings in town.

"He's a fantastic player," Dos Santos said of Maykon, who last season helped AEL Limassol - the top team in Cyprus - capture the Cypriot First Division championship.

The native of Ararangua, Brazil, also has experience in the UEFA Europa League while playing with Pacos de Ferreira of the Primeira Liga.

Maykon's agent had invited him to North America a few times, he said, but he never jumped at the chance until now.

"(Dos Santos) had a nice conversation with me and he explained the project and what was going on with the Ottawa fury," Maykon said. "Finally it happened and I think it was the right decision."

Maykon is expected in training tomorrow, though Dos Santos said it will take him a bit of time to adapt to the new setting and team.

"Everything's new for him," the coach said. "But he's going to bring experience, and a good vibe to the team."

Midfielder Philippe Davis said the rest of the squad was happy to see one of their missing players arrive - a boost to the grow as training camp starts to drag on.

"I wish I could have seen him play today," said Davies.

There's no update on either Dantas or Elias and when they might be arriving in Ottawa.

GAME SHAPE

Wednesday's training session was probably one of the best seen so far.

The players were fired up and emotions ran high during drills, with everyone seeming to want to get the exercise perfect and getting angry when that didn't happen.

The guys are also incredibly good at taking instructions from the coaching staff. After stopping one drill early on when he saw something he didn't like, Dos Santos made a few adjustments and suddenly it looked like a different team.

"See how much better that was compared to the first set?" Dos Santos asked rhetorically.

He called the players to centre field following the practice and told them he likes what they've been bringing, especially at a time when guys start thinking more about upcoming matches as camp enters its third week.

"What I'm very proud of is (the players) are keeping the same mentality from "¦ the first day of training to today, they're keeping the same attitude," Dos Santos said.

GORRICK DEAL DONE

The Fury now have three signed goalkeepers in camp.

As expected, Devala Gorrick was signed Wednesday after being invited to camp on a tryout.

At 26, the native of West Virginia is the oldest of the team's three keepers. Dos Santos said he wanted both someone with experience and someone who would keep constant pressure on Marcel DeBellis, 22, the team's top keeper.

"Gorrick has experience, he has traveled," said Dos Santos. "He needs a chance in the NASL to prove that he's a good number one."

The signing will be good for both DeBellis and Gorrick, as well as 19-year-old Chad Bush.

"Marcel has a good chance of being a very important goalkeeper in the league and he needs somebody to push him every day," Dos Santos said.

Gorrick's work ethic in camp was obvious from day one and he's been rewarded for it.

"He wants this chance and he's going to have it," the coach said.

SIDELINES

The Fury will have a light training session Thursday before heading to Rochester for Friday's match "¦ DeBellis, who played the second half of the first friendly, will likely start against the Rhinos "¦ A combination up front of Tommy Heinemann, Oliver Minatel and Carl Haworth was looking mighty powerful in camp Wednesday. So much skill "¦ Kyle Thorne should put one of his GPS trackers on equipment manager Brad Smith and athletic therapist Mel Fiala. Those two almost never stop moving at training.

chris.hofley@sunmedia.ca

Twitter: @chrishofley