Minnesota United defender Vadim Demidov is fluent in Norwegian, English, Spanish and Russian. In any of those languages, he’ll speak his mind.

“I call it like it is,” Demidov said.

Whenever United plays poorly during the club’s inaugural Major League Soccer season, he said, “I will most likely say we played bad.” Related Articles Minnesota United’s injury list won’t shrink much in near future

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The Loons like what they’ve heard from their new, yet vastly experienced, center back. On Tuesday, coach Adrian Heath named Demidov as the team’s captain prior to Friday’s season opener at Portland.

Demidov was born in modern-day Latvia and raised in Norway. He has played for clubs in the top leagues in the world — the German Bundesliga and Spain’s La Liga. He also suited up in Russia and most recently with SK Brann in Norway starting in 2014.

“The important thing is when you look at somebody to lead the team, you look at their qualities,” Heath said. “He covers ground. He’s now (30) years of age, and he’s done it.”

Last year in Norway, Demidov’s team was competing for the Tippeligaen league title, but he said it wasn’t so much due to his club’s accomplishments.

“I said we were fighting for a championship because the level of the other teams was not so high,” Demidov recalled.

Demidov said he doesn’t mind if some of his words bother a few people; he felt that utterance about the Tippeligaen table was just him being real. “I think they knew in Norway, and probably in the U.S., if you state the obvious, it’s going to get a reaction,” he said.

Demidov believes leadership is a trait you’re either born with or not. He said his disposition to lead was further fostered by his parents. Through preseason, he was working on how best to lead the nascent club, taking into account the best style to try and reach each player.

“I have to find the best balance,” he said.

Fellow defender Justin Davis is vice-captain. The Southfield, Mich., native is the longest tenured Minnesota player, joining the Stars in 2011 and making the jump with the club from the second-tier North American Soccer League this year.

At center back, Demidov will be paired with Costa Rican Francisco Calvo, another key player.

If Demidov is addressing a larger group of players, he’ll speak English. If it’s just Demidov conversing with Calvo, it’s usually in Spanish.

“It helps us when we are playing together,” Demidov said. “It helps the relationship between us. I know it’s their native language, and they like to hear it, so I try to be respectful of it.”

Calvo, whose English is strong, said he wants to speak more of it during games. But he and Demidov will mix and match their language choice based on the circumstances in the match.

Heath expresses in English what he likes in his center back pairing. Calvo, 24, doesn’t have the of experience of Demidov, but he has suited up for big games with Saprissa, the largest club in Costa Rica, as well as the national team.

“He played in games where there is a lot of pressure and has a lovely left foot,” Heath said. “He’s very competitive in the air. He has composure coming out of the back. We feel as though we have a very good center back pair.”