The Crew has added another piece to its offense with the signing of Icelandic wide attacking midfielder Kristinn Steindorsson. Steindorsson, 24, has spent the last three seasons with Sweden's Halmstad, where he scored a career-high eight goals in the country's top league last season.

A week of subtraction has finally yielded some addition to the Crew roster.

After trading away two players before Wednesday�s Major League Soccer expansion draft and then losing two more in the draft itself, the Crew has signed Icelandic wide attacking midfielder Kristinn Steindorsson.

Steindorsson, 24, spent the past three seasons with Halmstads BK, where he scored a career-high eight goals in Sweden�s top league last season.

�We see him as a guy with a lot of potential and a good profile in terms of what we�re trying to do with the club,� Crew coach Gregg Berhalter said.

Berhalter became familiar with Steindorsson while he was coaching Hammarby IF in Sweden. Since then, the Crew scouted him in person and determined that he fits the possession-based system that Berhalter has brought to the Crew. Steindorsson will be added to the roster on Jan. 1 after his paperwork is completed.

He is expected to challenge for a starting spot and add depth after the loss of midfielder Bernardo Anor in a trade on Wednesday.

�He�s a very technical player,� Berhalter said of Steindorsson. �He has a good knack for scoring, and he�s going to complement our group nicely. That�s the expectation, that he challenges to be a starter. We lost Bernie and needed depth, and he�s a guy that�s going to compete for a starting role.�

Berhalter said Steindorsson will fit into a group that includes Justin Meram, Romain Gall, Ethan Finlay, Ben Speas and Hector Jimenez.

�I think after the year, we�ve been able to identify guys that can fit exactly what we�re trying to do,� Berhalter said. �A lot of those guys can play either on the side or in the middle. We want balance on the field, and we want specific types of players in certain positions. � (Steindorsson) is an example of a guy that we feel fits very well into what we�re trying to do.�

The move gives the Crew 24 players under contract, and although financial details were not disclosed, Berhalter said the Crew still has room to work with under the salary cap.

�The Swedish market is on a reasonable value, so we see him as a value move, as well,� Berhalter said. �It gives us a lot of flexibility moving forward.�

The Crew has been linked with Egyptian right back Omar Gaber, although it is believed that he is being offered to the Crew rather than vice versa. Despite having only six true defenders on the roster, Berhalter declined to comment on Gaber.

�We�re working on a number of things, and we�ll see,� he said.

ajardy@dispatch.com

@AdamJardy

Steindorsson file

Age: 24

Size: 5 feet 8, 154 pounds

Previous clubs: Halmstads BK (Sweden) 2012-14; Breidablik (Iceland) 2007-11

Notable: Scored a career-high eight goals last season � Represented Iceland at the Under-17 and U-21 levels