25-year-old centerback Japhet Sery Larsen has officially joined the group after signing with the Philadelphia Union from SK Brann. After the team’s opening training session in Marbella, Spain on Monday, the Danish defender shared his experience at the club so far and his first impressions of his new teammates and coaches.
It’s been just over a week since you arrived in Philly - what have these first days around the group been like for you so far?
It's been amazing. This team is a really nice group of boys who have been really welcoming, and I’ve felt at home since day one.Â
What has been your first impression of your teammates and the coaching staff here at the club?
It’s amazing. Obviously, I had done a bit of research before I came, but they have shocked me positively. The way we're training, the way the staff are working around the team and in training have been amazing. So, I'm really positive being here, and I'm enjoying my time so far.
You’re finally out there training with the team, what was it like sharing the pitch with them today?
It's been a long holiday, so I’m buzzing being on the pitch again. It's nice being here, a bit of sun and grass. So it's been really, really good. I think there's been a lot of energy in the training sessions. You can see the guys couldn’t wait to come out and train again after a long holiday.
Oftentimes, when a player first signs with the Union and participates in their first few training sessions, they are quick to remark about both the intensity during training, then the camaraderie after. Have you seen that so far?
Exactly! Those are the two things I can highlight most. The trainings have really surprised me. The intensity has been really, really good. At the same time, I’ve seen a lot of quality in many of the players, and that has been really good. Then outside of the pitch, it's been really fun too, so now I'm really looking forward to getting to knowing my teammates even more and getting closer.
Has there been any teammate in particular, or a couple of teammates that have helped you adjust so far?
I feel bad if I don't name all of them, but especially Nate [Harriel], [Jeremy] Rafanello, George [Marks]. Stas [Korzeniowski] has been driving me around. These guys have been really great. Some are from [the Philly area] as well, so they know the town and where to go.
Just like that, it’s almost time for a friendly here in Spain. What are your expectations going into this one against Sigma Olomouc?
Hopefully we will win. We play to win. We will play with high intensity. We still have our principles, even though it's early preseason. So, we have to see that tomorrow. There's no excuse from that, and then hopefully just getting to know each other a bit better. There's quite some new faces here other than me, so it's good to have a friendly early on, and then we'll just gradually build on that.
