MLS champion Sounders exercise options of 8 players

Just two days after winning the franchise’s first MLS Cup, the Sounders announced Monday that they are exercising the options on the contracts on eight players on the current squad. The club had to do this in compliance with league rules, as it also revealed which players would be protected for the upcoming Expansion Draft for new MLS clubs Minnesota United and Atlanta United.

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These are the players that saw their options exercised for 2017: goalkeeper Tyler Miller; defenders Oniel Fisher, Tony Alfaro, Joevin Jones and Roman Torres; midfielders Aaron Kovar and Brad Evans; and forward Victor Mansaray.

Of note, these players are already under contract through next season: goalkeeper Stefan Frei; defender Chad Marshall; midfielders Nicolás Lodeiro, Osvaldo Alonso, Alvaro Fernandez and Cristian Roldan; and forwards Clint Dempsey and Jordan Morris.

Subsequently, the following players did not have their options exercised: Oalex Anderson, Michael Farfan, Erik Friberg, Herculez Gomez, Andreas Ivanschitz, Darwin Jones, Damion Lowe, Charlie Lyon, Tyrone Mears, Jimmy Ockford, Dylan Remick, Nathan Sturgis and Nelson Valdez.

The Sounders also released their list of protected players for the Expansion Draft: Alfaro, Alonso, Dempsey, Evans, Frei, Darwin Jones*, Joevin Jones, Kovar*, Lodeiro, Mansaray*, Marshall, Miller, Morris*, Roldan and Torres. (*automatically protected)

Unprotected players eligible for the Expansion Draft: Anderson, Farfan, Fernandez, Fisher, Erik Friberg, Herculez Gomez, Ivanschitz, Lowe, Lyon, Mears, Ockford, Remick, Sturgis, Valdez.

Players who aren’t selected in the Expansion Draft, which takes place on Tuesday, will be able to be re-signed by the Sounders up until Thursday.

We’ll have continue to have news and analysis on the Sounders’ roster decisions throughout the week.