The Columbus Crew announced today that it has signed Serbian midfielder Dejan Rusmir, who will occupy one of the team’s international roster spots pending receipt of his International Transfer Clearance. Rusmir agreed to terms prior to the roster compliance date, but was in Serbia awaiting approval of his P-1 Visa, which has now been granted. Per club and league policy no further terms of the deal were disclosed.
A versatile midfielder, Rusmir comes to the Crew after spending the last two seasons (2008-10) in Romania with Farul Constanta, where he appeared in 37 matches and scored six goals. He was on trial with the Crew in Arizona, where he appeared in three preseason matches.
"Rusmir is a good player with experience," said Crew head coach Robert Warzycha. "He is a good passer and reads the game very well. He covers a lot of ground and has composure, which is what we look for in a player."
The Serbia native began his professional career with FK Partizan of Belgrade, Serbia in 2001, appearing in 10 matches over two seasons. In 2003 he transferred to Belgrade rival FK Rad, where he saw action in 12 matches. After three seasons with FK Rad, Rusmir traveled to Romanian first division club Cealhaul where he spent two seasons (2006-08) and scored 10 goals in 53 matches.
