Major League Soccer had one Finnish player across its 20 teams early last season, while the Minnesota Wild has had three on its roster for many years.

New Minnesota United midfielder Rasmus Schuller, a native of Espoo, Finland, has spoken to all four of his countrymen in order to understand what it’s like to play in MLS and how to assimilate as a pro athlete in Minnesota.

Schuller gave the “Lets Play Hockey!” call before the Wild’s 5-2 victory over Nashville on Feb. 18. Afterward, he met fellow Finns Mikko Koivu, Mikael Granlund and Erik Haula in the bowels of Xcel Energy Center. Related Articles Minnesota United acquires striker Kei Kamara in trade with Colorado

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“I just told him that if he needs any help or wants to know anything about the cities that I’m happy to help,” Granlund told the Pioneer Press.

Schuller received a custom Wild sweater with his name and number (20) on it. The Wild players signed it. “It was really nice,” Schuller said of the meeting. “They were really friendly.”

Schuller, 25, will make his MLS debut in Friday’s season opener against the Timbers in Portland. After turning pro at 17, the midfielder arrives in the U.S. after a career spent in the top leagues in Finland and Sweden and as a member of the Finnish national team.

United’s Sporting Director Many Lagos mined Scandinavia for players last fall. He sought value in quality players — with Minnesota and Scandinavia’s similar cultures, weather and standards of living as added bonuses.

Lagos and the Loons netted a handful of players who figure to be key contributors in their debut MLS season, including Schuller, goalkeeper John Alvbage (Sweden), defender Vadim Demidov (Norway) and midfielder Bashkim Kadrii (Denmark).

MLS is the most diverse professional sports league in the U.S., with about 280 players from 60 countries as of late last season. Since MLS’ founding in 1996, Scandinavian countries have produced 33 league players, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

In 2006, there was one Scandinavian player. Last March, Scandinavia had produced 10 current MLS players. Norway led with four, Sweden had three (including new United midfielder Mohammed Saeid), Norway added two, and Markus Halsti was the sole representative from Finland.

In 2015, Halsti moved from Swedish club Malmo to D.C. United with high expectation. The midfielder made 14 appearances with D.C. his first year, but knee issues led to his departure last May. He’s now playing in Denmark.

Despite the short stint in the U.S., Halsti gave Schuller a strong recommendation on MLS.

“He was mainly positive about the MLS,” Schuller said. “He said there is a lot of traveling with teams on the west coast and east coast, and said that’s handled well and easy for the players to focus on the football. He also said it’s a competitive (league). It’s physical and you have to be ready for it. I think it’s a good challenge.”

At 5 feet 10 and 148 pounds, Schuller prides himself on being a box-to-box midfielder, meaning he likes to play between the penalty areas in front of each goal. He strives for balance in playing defense and creating offense for teammates.

Schuller is not a stranger to the spotlight. In a 2012 UEFA Champions League qualifier — the highest level of European club soccer — Schuller scored the opening goal for HJK Helsinki against Scottish club Celtic before 60,000 fans in Glasgow.

“We ended up losing that game 2-1, but still, getting that (stadium) totally silent was really cool,” Schuller said about his most memorable moment in the game.

Schuller now finds himself in another foreign country, with aspirations to silence more stadiums of opponents, starting with Friday’s MLS debut at Portland.

Wild beat reporter Dane Mizutani contributed to this story.