Columbus Crew SC have transferred Norweigan center-back Nicolai Naess to SC Heerenveen, a club in the first division of the Dutch league.
Crew SC added Naess from Staebeck of the Norwegian Tippeligaen in July of 2016. At the time, the Black and Gold were painfully thin at center back.
During the 2017 season, Columbus has dramatically improved their options at the position with addition the Designated Player Jonathan Mensah, re-entry draft signing Josh Williams, Homegrown player Alex Crognale, and first-round draft pick Lalas Abubakar.
With four starting-caliber center backs on the roster, and the potential return of Gaston Sauro in 2018, at least one player had to be moved.