REAL SALT LAKE
RELEASES PROTECTED PLAYER LIST IN ADVANCE OF
2011 MLS EXPANSION DRAFT
Portland Timbers & Vancouver Whitecaps to Begin
Building Rosters in Earnest during Wednesday’s Draft;
Draft Conference Call to be Streamed Live Online at
MLSsoccer.com beginning at 11:45 a.m. MT
SANDY, Utah (Monday, November 22, 2010) – In conjunction with Major League Soccer, Real Salt Lake has announced the 11 players on the club’s Protected Player list in advance of the 2011 MLS Expansion Draft this Wednesday, November 24. The following 11 RSL players will not be eligible for selection by the Portland Timbers or Vancouver Whitecaps when the expansion sides make their picks in two days’ time:
GK Nick Rimando
DF Tony Beltran
DF Nat Borchers
DF Jamison Olave
DF Chris Wingert
MF Kyle Beckerman
MF Will Johnson
MF Javier Morales
FW Fabian
Espíndola
FW Paulo Junior
FW Álvaro Saborío
In addition to those
11 players, MF Luis Gil is automatically protected as a current member
of the Generation adidas player development initiative. Existing MLS
squads can lose a maximum of two players in the Expansion Draft, with teams
allowed to pull a player back onto its Protected Player list once one of its
members has been selected by the Timbers or Whitecaps, both of which will be
able to select 10 players. A complete list of the Expansion Draft rules and
eligible players can be found on the Expansion
Draft Page of MLSsoccer.com.
With the Protected
Player list established, this means that the following players currently under
contract with Real Salt Lake will be available for selection by Portland and
Vancouver. Representatives from all 18 MLS clubs will participate in an Expansion
Draft teleconference which will be streamed on MLSsoccer.com during a special LIVE
edition of ExtraTime Radio, with coverage beginning at 11:45 a.m. MT and the
draft following at noon.
Goalkeepers: Tim
Melia, Kyle Reynish
Defenders: David
Horst, Rauwshan McKenzie, Robbie Russell, Chris Schuler
Midfielders: Jean
Alexandre, Nelson Gonzalez, Ned Grabavoy, Alex Nimo (2010 Generation adidas
graduate), Collen Warner, Andy Williams
Forwards: Pablo
Campos, Robbie Findley
With much interest
surrounding the status of Findley, Real Salt Lake V.P. of Soccer Operations and
General Manager Garth Lagerwey issued the following statement regarding
the striker’s ongoing contract negotiations with the club and Major League
Soccer:
“Robbie Findley has informed us that he has offers overseas
and will be pursuing an opportunity outside of Major League Soccer as the next
step in his career,” said Lagerwey. “We respect his decision and thank
him for his immensely valuable contributions to Real Salt Lake, as we could not
have won a championship without him. We wish Robbie the best of luck with his
future endeavors.”
www.RealSaltLake.com / www.RioTintoStadium.com / www.RSLtotheCore.com / www.ESPN700Sports.com
