RSL re-signs Demar Phillips, Phanuel Kavita

Demar Phillips and Phanuel Kavita will return to Real Salt Lake for 2016, according to a club press release issued this afternoon.

Both players had their options declined after the 2015 season, and neither were eligible for the 2015 MLS Re-Entry Draft.

Phillips, 32, joined Real Salt Lake in January last year and was widely tipped to be the starting left back that RSL needed after the departure of Chris Wingert to New York City FC through the MLS Expansion Draft.

However, Phillips only made 18 appearances, starting 16 of them. Some of that time was spent injured, and other swathes were spent away with the Jamaican national team.

In the press release, RSL general manager Craig Waibel described Phillips as "frustrated" with his 2015 season.

"We had great conversations with Demar and the maturity he showed really impressed us," Waibel said. "He was really frustrated with the season he had and we wanted to make sure we are on the same page. It makes it easy to bring a guy like that back."

Kavita, 22, joined RSL as a homegrown player last year and made three appearances for RSL, one of which was in the US Open Cup; he spent most of his playing time with Real Monarchs.

"He's a good young player and a fantastic human being," Waibel said. "He's driven to prove the people who have supported him his whole life right and he's driven to make this work."