REAL SALT LAKE GAINS 2012 MLS SUPPLEMENTAL DRAFT SELECTION VIA TRADE WITH SAN JOSE
Claret-and-Cobalt Send M/F Jean Alexandre to Earthquakes in Exchange for Draft Selection
SANDY, Utah (Thursday, December 1, 2011) – The active 2011-12 offseason of Real Salt Lake continued this afternoon, as the Utah side announced a trade that sent midfielder/forward Jean Alexandre to the San Jose Earthquakes in exchange for the Bay Area club’s first round selection in the 2012 MLS Supplemental Draft.
Prior to today’s deal with the Earthquakes, Alexandre was among six RSL players made available for selection in the MLS Re-Entry Process on Wednesday (click HEREfor full rules and details of the Re-Entry Process, and click HERE for the Re-Entry Process selection order).
“Firstly, I want to thank God for giving me the ability to play soccer at the professional level, which is something I dreamed about for a long time and was able to fulfill with Real Salt Lake,” said Alexandre. “I also want to thank the RSL managerial and coaching staffs for providing me the opportunity to begin my career with the club, specifically Jason Kreis, who saw something in me and took a chance on me, and I’ll always be grateful for that. I really enjoyed my time with Real Salt Lake and wish the club nothing but the best.”
After being selected by Real Salt Lake with the 12th overall pick (first round) in the 2009 MLS SuperDraft, the 25-year-old Alexandre would play in 38 MLS regular season contests (14 starts) during his first three professional seasons, including a career-best 19 appearances and nine starts during the recently-finished 2011 campaign. RSL utilized the Lynn University product at the defensive midfield position during the 2009-10 seasons, but injuries and national team call-ups forced the Utah side to try Alexandre at forward across much of 2011, and the Haitian international answered the call by recording his first MLS goal and a pair of assists in 703 minutes of play. In addition, Alexandre saw the field for Real Salt Lake in one postseason contest in both 2009 and 2010, coming off the bench on both occasions to total 18 minutes of playoff action.
“We would like to thank Jean for his contributions on behalf of Real Salt Lake both on and off the playing field and wish him well as he continues his career with San Jose” said RSL General Manager Garth Lagerwey. “Jean has always been a humble and hard-working player, and he proved to carry those traits over into our community as well during the past three seasons.”
Alexandre was a force off the field for the Utah side as well, as he collected Real Salt Lake’s Humanitarian of the Year award in both 2010 and 2011 for his work not only in the local community, but also for his efforts on behalf of the Jean Alexandre Football Academy, which provides children in his birthplace of Verrettes, Haiti, the opportunity to learn valuable skills both on the soccer field and in the classroom.
Alexandre has represented his native Haiti at the Senior International on 11 occasions (2 goals), most recently in a pair of CONCACAF region World Cup Qualifying contests against Antigua & Barbuda in mid-November.
TRANSACTION: Real Salt Lake trades midfielder/forward Jean Alexandre to San Jose Earthquakes in exchange for a first round selection in the 2012 MLS Supplemental Draft.
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