Iceland's Arnor Traustason Eager To Make Mark With New England Revolution
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Revolution had a new face at practice on Tuesday. Icelandic midfielder Arnor Traustason has cleared quarantine protocols and is expected to make his New England debut Saturday night when the Revs host D.C. United at Gillette Stadium.
It's unclear how much Traustason, 27, will play when he makes his MLS debut. He said that he expects to play on the left wing, but is willing to do anything that head coach Bruce Arena asks of him.
"I can play on the right, I can play behind the striker or whatever, but my strongest side, I would say, is the left side," Traustason told reporters Tuesday afternoon. "But like I said, I can play it wherever."
Traustason played on the left during his time with Malmo FF in Sweden and with Iceland. He had just one goal and two assists for Malmo last season, but is two years removed from netting seven goals and leading the Swedish Professional League with nine assists in 2019.
He got a look at MLS play during the 2018 preseason, when Malmo played the Revolution and D.C. United in Bradenton, Florida. Traustason did not play in those games, but has noticed a change in the MLS game since then.
"The way people see it now in Europe is way different than it was a couple of years ago," he said. "It's growing and it's getting stronger every year and I think to this year it's really strong. And so players want to get here, even like in a good age. They don't see it as like an endstage, they see this as an opportunity to get even better and to get further in your careers."
Traustason picked New England because of the club's current position, coming off a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals, and because it's just a four-hour flight home to Iceland. He'll likely have to leave the Revs in September when the World Cup qualifiers resume in Europe.
But for now, he's eager to get his Revolution career started. And though he hasn't been with his new teammates for too long, Traustason had the immediate sense that he was part of the team in Foxborough.
"I think it's the most welcoming dressing room I have ever been in. It's really nice, a nice bunch of guys, and they've all welcomed me with open arms really," said Traustason. "If there are any problems, it's fixed and any questions I have, it's answered. It's the most welcoming one I've ever been in and it's really nice to get on."
With two practice sessions under his belt, Traustason is eager to see what he can do in an MLS game.
"It's been amazing really. I'm just getting myself better into the team and get fit into the team and the way of playing," he added. "Those two trainings have been good and it's been positive, so it's just onwards and upwards from here."