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Philadelphia Union Exercise 2019 Options on Seven Players

November 19, 2018 - Major League Soccer (MLS) - Philadelphia Union News Release

CHESTER, Pa. - Philadelphia Union today announced that they have exercised the contract options on seven players from their 2018 roster, while 10 contracts were already guaranteed for next season, giving the club a roster that currently features 17 players under contract for the 2019 campaign.

The club picked up the options of defenders Jack Elliott, Olivier Mbaizo, and Keegan Rosenberry; midfielders Ilsinho, Derrick Jones and Fafa Picault; and forward Cory Burke.

The contracts of the following players were already guaranteed for the 2019 season: goalkeeper Andre Blake; defenders Mark McKenzie, Matt Real and Auston Trusty; midfielders Brenden Aaronson, David Accam, Alejandro Bedoya, Anthony Fontana and Haris Medunjanin; and forward CJ Sapong.

Simultaneously, the Union announced that they have declined the contract options of goalkeeper Jake McGuire; defenders Richie Marquez and Josh Yaro; midfielders Marcus Epps, Fabian Herbers and Adam Najem; and forward Jay Simpson. The Union also declined the option of defender Fabinho, but are currently in negotiations with him on a new contract. Goalkeeper John McCarthy, defender Raymon Gaddis and midfielder Warren Creavalle are all out of contract entering the offseason. Midfielder Borek Dockal is also out of contract following the expiration of his loan from Chinese club Henan Jianye. Finally, the club holds a contract option on forward Kacper Przybylko that is yet to be acted upon.

Should the Union not reach a new agreement with any player either out of contract or who has had his option declined or not yet acted upon, the following MLS roster mechanisms would apply: Epps, McGuire, Najem, Przybylko, and Simpson would all be eligible for the 2018 Waiver Draft; while Creavalle, Fabinho, Gaddis, Herbers, Marquez, McCarthy and Yaro would be eligible for the 2018 Re-Entry Process. Dockal's MLS rights would be also be available via the Waiver Draft.

Union Sporting Director Ernst Tanner and Union Head Coach Jim Curtin will be available via press conference at the press conference room at Talen Energy Stadium (1 Stadium Dr, Chester PA 19013) today at 12:00 p.m. ET to discuss these roster moves in their end-of-season availability. Members of the media interested in attending should RSVP with Ryan Schwepfinger to receive the latest updates.

Members of the media not able to attend in person may join via conference call by dialing 800-582-3014 and entering the code 17252609, followed by the pound sign (#) for access to the call. Please remember to mute your line for the duration of the call, unless asking a question. Ryan Schwepfinger of Philadelphia Union Communications will moderate. Timing and availability are subject to change.

A full League list of players eligible for Free Agency, the Waiver Draft and the Re-Entry Process will be announced by MLS. For more information on the league's roster mechanisms, please click here.

After today's announcement, the Union's active roster entering the 2019 season stands as follows:

Goalkeepers (1): Andre Blake

Defenders (6): Jack Elliott, Olivier Mbaizo, Mark McKenzie, Matt Real, Keegan Rosenberry, Auston Trusty

Midfielders (8): Brenden Aaronson, David Accam, Alejandro Bedoya, Ilsinho, Anthony Fontana, Derrick Jones, Haris Medunjanin, Fafa Picault

Forwards (2): Cory Burke, CJ Sapong

TRANSACTIONS: Philadelphia Union picked up the 2019 contract options of defenders Jack Elliott, Olivier Mbaizo, and Keegan Rosenberry; midfielders Ilsinho, Derrick Jones and Fafa Picault; and forward Cory Burke. Simultaneously, Philadelphia Union declined the 2019 contract options of goalkeeper Jake McGuire; defenders Fabinho, Richie Marquez and Josh Yaro; midfielders Marcus Epps, Fabian Herbers and Adam Najem; and forward Jay Simpson. All transactions occurred on November 19, 2018.

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