RSL protected list released, Attinella left off

Real Salt Lake’s protected list for the MLS Expansion Draft dropped today, and Jeff Attinella was the sole player left off who we’d expect to be returning to the team next year, given contract situations.

That list is as follows, provided by the club:

• GK Nick Rimando
• DF Tony Beltran
• DF Aaron Maund
• DF Demar Phillips
• DF Chris Schuler
• MF Kyle Beckerman
• MF Luke Mulholland
• MF Sunday Stephen
• FW Yura Movsisyan
• FW Joao Plata
• *FW Juan Manuel Martinez

Officially exempt from the draft are RSL’s homegrown and Generation Adidas players:

• MF Danilo Acosta
• FW Jordan Allen
• GK Lalo Fernandez
• DF Justen Glad
• FW Sebastian Saucedo
• FW Ricardo Velazco
• MF Omar Holness (Generation Adidas)

As discussed last week, Martinez is on the protected list because of rules surrounding international players and the number a team must protect. The team acknowledged this in their release of the lists.

Also from the club, here’s the list of under-contract players who haven’t been protected. Most have had their options declined and are not anticipated to return to the club in 2017.

Goalkeepers: Jeff Attinella

Defenders: Phanuel Kavita, Boyd Okwuonu, Jamison Olave, Chris Wingert

Midfielders: Javier Morales, John Stertzer

Forwards: Pedro Baez, Olmes Garcia, Devon Sandoval, Emery Welshman