When Columbus Crew SC’s newest addition walked onto the training field in Obetz for his first practice with his new team, there was a strange feeling between he and his new teammates.



Even stoic coach Gregg Berhalter noticed.



“It felt like he had just been on a trip for six months. Seriously, it was bizarre,” Berhalter said. “He walks on the field, and it was just like normal again. That was an odd part of it. It was like, ‘Oh, we haven’t seen you in a while. Welcome back.’ ”



In a situation that doesn’t play out in MLS too often, Berhalter’s assessment was exactly right. It was just a six-month trip.



The team announced Friday morning that it had acquired winger Justin Meram from Orlando City SC for $750,000 in Targeted Allocation Money and a 2019 international roster spot. The deal comes just more than six months after Meram was traded from Columbus to Orlando for $1.05 million in allocation...