Oslo to New York. New York to Phoenix. Phoenix to Casa Grande.
It took about 14 hours of flying time, but Minnesota United FC's Norwegian defender Vadim Demidov finally arrived at camp Thursday night in Arizona. He joined the team for a light training session Friday morning and seemed pretty unfazed by the eight-hour time difference.
"It's a good group, good teammates," Demidov said. "I saw the intensity was great. Just looking forward to joining the team 100 percent."
United signed Demidov back on Jan. 10. The 30-year-old is 6-1, 176 pounds and a strong option to play centerback. The Norwegian men's national team member has played in several of the world's top leagues, most recently spending two years with SK Brann in Norway.
But when the chance to come to the U.S. came up, he didn't hesitate to make the move.
"I had several offers, but [United] came in early and talked to my agent, and I heard about the interest in middle of December, I think," Demidov said. "Just to be a part of both the league that's developing and the club that's developing ... to build something like that, it's not always you can be a part of that and that chance.
"I've played in big leagues before in Europe, and now I felt it was the last chance for me to come to the U.S. as well because the level is getting higher and higher," he said.
Demidov was actually born in the former Soviet Union in what is now Riga, Latvia, and both his parents are Russian. But he moved to Norway at age 3 and said American culture, especially the TV shows, are very accessible there.
