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RUNNING WITH THE BULLS : NBA MVP Steve Nash trains with team

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Bruce Arena said he liked what he saw from the new guy wearing No. 13 at the Red Bulls training session Thursday morning. He had speed, he had size and was very good on the ball.

?He can make our team,? Arena said. ?He actually could play in the midfield. He could do the running, that?s for sure.?

The only problem is that No. 13 already is on another team, the Phoenix Suns.

Two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash, an accomplished player, accepted an invite to train with the Red Bulls Thursday.

?That?s a big compliment,? Nash said of Arena?s assessment. ?Obviously I?m a fan of Bruce?s and the success he?s had is unparallel in this country. He?s done a lot for this sport and as a soccer fan we all thank him for that.?

Red Bulls players had virtually no notice that Nash would join them. Marvell Wynne said he found out in the locker room, when Red Bulls media relations director Eric Tosi informed the team.

?I did a double take. What, what? Oh, ok that?s normal,? Wynne said. ?He?s a great guy, first of all. He comes in and says hi to everybody, ?nice to meet you.? It was a lot of fun, he?s a great guy.?

Nash, who lives in Manhattan during the off-season, is an avid soccer fan. His parents both hail from England and his father John grew up a Tottenham supporter. His brother Martin Nash has 30 caps for the Canadian national team, played professionally for Stockpole in England and currently plays for the Vancouver Whitecaps in the USL First Division.

?It was a special day for me, I?ll remember it for a long time,? Nash said of the chance to train with the Red Bulls.

He wasn?t the only one enjoying himself.

?He can jump, he has a good technical left foot and he was just like he is in the NBA, real smooth and casual with the ball and keeps good possession,? Danny O?Rourke said. ?It was fun to watch him.?

Added Wynne: ?When he came out he was actually pretty good. We were playing a little bit of keep-way and his passing percentage was anywhere from 90 to 100 percent. It was funny but it was fun.?

Nash was born in South Africa but his parents moved to Vancouver when he was two years old. He said he is excited about the prospect of the World Cup being in South Africa in 2010.

?I think it?s great. It?s the first time in Africa,? he said. ?It?s about time that we put some development and resources in that country and that continent. It?s important and hopefully it?s the first of many World Cups in Africa in the future.?

Living here and being a soccer fan, Nash said he follows the Red Bulls.

?I think it?s been excited to see them turn their season around a little bit here in the last month,? he said. ?They seem extremely spirited and together, which is so important for a team?s success. That?s what I love most about playing sports, is being with my teammates and having good team spirit.?

He was particularly impressed training with Youri Djorkaeff.

?Youri?s a natural,? he said. ?To get a chance to be on the same field as him is terrific for me. Just to watch the ease at which he plays the game is a beautiful thing.?

So which sport is Nash better at? Guevara, a former MLS MVP, has it figured out.

?Playing basketball, I?m better than him,? Guevara said. ?Soccer, he?s better than me.?