Midfielder Mohammed Abu signed with Crew SC last month, then joined his new teammates in Brazil for the Crew’s preseason training trip in Sao Paulo. But he’s been an observer of Crew soccer for much longer.

It started with Fifi Baiden, another holding midfielder, being selected by the Crew in the third round of the 2014 SuperDraft.

Baiden, who made two appearances with the Dayton Dutch Lions, the Crew’s former USL Pro affiliate, and one appearance with the Crew before being waived, played with Abu in the Ghanaian Right to Dream Academy, where the two became good friends.

“He’s like a brother to me. So as soon as I hear that (the Crew selected Baiden), it’s like, ‘Wow, that would be interesting,’” Abu said. “(And) my wife used to live here in Columbus, so I kept following them.”

Abu, 25, continued watching when forward Ola Kamara, a former teammate with Stromsgodset in Norway’s top flight, signed with the Crew last February.

He said he knows center back Jonathan Mensah from the Ghanaian national team at the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations. Though he hasn’t met right back Harrison Afful, Abu said he knows of him through a friend.

Abu said Stromsgodset’s possession style of play allowed him to make a smooth transition to the Crew. Coach and sporting director Gregg Berhalter noted the value of Abu’s game understanding but said two months away from soccer was evident in early-season training.

“I think from a physical standpoint, he hit a little bit of a roadblock in Brazil because of the workload and because of where he was at after vacation and everything, but he’s coming along,” Berhalter said. “He’s going to be fine. He’s quality, and he’s going to be good.”

The Brazil heat, Abu said, reminded him of Ghana and thus wasn’t much of a bother. Still, he noted the challenge of regaining his conditioning and said his new teammates were instrumental in helping him push through.

“We were all together, all the time,” he said. “We did a lot of stuff (away from) football, working on teamwork and stuff. I think that really helped a lot.”

Abu has played defensive midfielder for the majority of his professional career, but he said he dabbled with a system in which he played some elements of both center and defensive midfielder during his brief stint with FC Lorient in 2013.

Berhalter said Abu has the versatility to play both positions, but the coach declined to say which position suits Abu best.

“You’re going to have to wait and find out,” he said.

Back in Columbus for only a few days, Abu said Monday that the Crew has set him up with an apartment, and a few family members have joined him in the area.

“So, yeah, I’m really settling in very well,” he said.

aerickson@dispatch.com

@AEricksonCD