The Crew has signed 23-year-old central midfielder Mohammed Saeid. Saeid, who has played for Sweden's Orebro SK since 2012, will add depth and challenge for a starting position, coach Gregg Berhalter said.

The Crew has signed 23-year-old central midfielder Mohammed Saeid.



Saeid, who has played for Sweden�s Orebro SK since 2012, will add depth and challenge for a starting position, coach Gregg Berhalter said. Saeid officially will be added to the roster in January. Major League Soccer rosters are frozen for the duration of the 2014 season.



�He�s a proven winner,� Berhalter said. �He was a major contributor to Orebro�s promotion to the first league in Sweden. They�ve had a strong season this year, and he�s been a contributor as well. He has a good grasp of the English language, and we feel like with our high-performance training environment that he can improve and we can get more out of him. Then we look at the age profile, being 24 years old, I think everything is a sign of a player that can contribute and improve.�



Although Berhalter said he was familiar with Saeid when he was coaching for Hammarby IF, the signing is a product of the Crew�s scouting department. He can play either of the spots currently held down by Wil Trapp and Tony Tchani.



Veterans Agustin Viana and Daniel Paladini spent much of the season as the primary backups for Trapp and Tchani, but Viana has been hampered by injuries and Paladini suffered a broken leg that will keep him out until next season.



�It�s going to give us more options,� Berhalter said. �We�re talking about injuries, we�re talking about suspensions. It�s going to provide us with some more options there. He�s a guy that at his level, he�ll be able to compete for a starting position.�



Berhalter said that Saeid has been watching the Crew recently and that both sides feel he will fit into the team�s system.



Saeid is the third player the Crew has signed with an eye toward 2015. Austrian center back Emanuel Pogatetz was signed in early September, and the Crew added forward Kei Kamara, who won�t be available until next year, this month. Each has been the result of a calculated, deliberate approach used by the Crew staff.



�I would say that scouting takes time,� Berhalter said. �You want to have eyes on him, you want to have people in the stadium watching him live. You want to have a good grasp of the player. We don�t want to rush into signings and we want to be thorough and thoughtful in what we�re doing. We�re looking at areas of concern on our depth chart and we�re looking to improve."



Berhalter said that there is not a high priority to make wholesale additions to the roster for next year.



�I think first and foremost we like our group,� he said. �We�re not going to add to it unless it�s the right player and unless we need to. As everything happens, as the season finishes up and you�re talking about contract renewals and expansion drafts, after that we�re going to have to sit down and plan what areas we might need to address but the group has been great this year.



"We feel like adding a couple pieces will make it stronger, but there�s no need for a major overhaul.�



ajardy@dispatch.com



@AdamJardy