SANDY, Utah (Wednesday, November 30, 2016) – Real Salt Lake announced Wednesday that the club has exercised the 2017 contract options on five players, putting the club’s roster at 17 players. The players whose contracts were exercised include goalkeeper Lalo Fernandez; defenders Chris Schuler, Demar Phillips and Justen Glad; and forward Ricardo Velazco.
Goalkeepers Nick Rimando and Jeff Attinella; defenders Tony Beltran and Danilo Acosta; midfielders Kyle Beckerman, Luke Mulholland, Sunny and Omar Holness; and forwards Juan Manuel Martinez, Joao Plata, Yura Movsisyan and Jordan Allen were already under contract for the 2017 season.
“With the current players under contract, we have a good base to enter the off-season,” Real Salt Lake General Manager Craig Waibel said. “We had success in 2016 in getting back into the playoffs and now we look to take the next steps to move forward. Our objective is to get younger this year and we have a good mixture of young players and veterans that can really shape this team as it moves forward into the next stages.”
The club will not exercise the options for longtime defender Jamison Olave and midfielder Javier Morales, who spent seven and ten years with the club, respectively.
“Jamison and Javier were remarkable players for this club and great ambassadors for the organization throughout their time with the club. Real Salt Lake enjoyed great success during their time here, winning MLS Cup in 2009 and reaching the CONCACAF Champions League final in 2011 and those accomplishments left indelible marks on the club and its place in the community,” Waibel said.
In addition, RSL also will not exercise options on defenders Boyd Okwuonu and Phanuel Kavita; midfielder John Stertzer; and forwards Emery Welshman and Olmes Garcia. The loan for forward Pedro Baez expired and he will return to Cerro Porteno in Paraguay.
Forward Devon Sandoval and defenders Chris Wingert and Aaron Maund are currently out of contract for the 2017 season. A full League list of players eligible for Free Agency, the Waiver Draft and Re-Entry Process will be announced by MLS. The MLS Half-Day Trade window takes place between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m. MT on Sunday, December 11 and the Expansion Draft is held on Tuesday, December 13. On the 13th, MLS Free Agency begins at 3 p.m. MT. The MLS Waiver Draft is scheduled for Thursday, December 15 at 12 p.m. MT and the MLS Re-Entry Process begins with Stage One on Friday, December 16 at 1 p.m. MT. Stage Two of the Re-Entry Draft takes place on Thursday, December 22 at 1 p.m. MT.
Current Real Salt Lake Roster
Goalkeepers: Jeff Attinella, Lalo Fernandez, Nick Rimando
Defenders: Danilo Acosta, Tony Beltran, Justen Glad, Demar Phillips, Chris Schuler
Midfielders: Kyle Beckerman, Omar Holness, Luke Mulholland, Sunny
Forwards: Jordan Allen, Juan Manuel Martinez, Yura Movsisyan, Joao Plata, Ricardo Velazco
