Picking RSL's 11 protected players for the 2014 MLS Expansion Draft


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SANDY — Now that Real Salt Lake and the rest of Major League Soccer have finished the 2014 season with the L.A. Galaxy winning the MLS Cup in Landon Donovan’s final year, the page turns quickly to the offseason and an expansion draft involving New York City FC and Orlando City SC.

RSL and the rest of the league will have a half-day trade window Monday morning from 7-11 a.m. MST to conduct any business ahead of the draft. Each team’s 11-player protected list is due to the league office after the trade window closes.

At KSL.com, we put our heads together and came up with a list of 11 players RSL should protect, and why. These aren’t the only players who have contributed to the season or the team’s campaign — but MLS only allows for 11 spots, and determining the protected roster can be hard. Remember that RSL homegrown players Jordan Allen, Justen Glad and Lalo Fernandez are automatically exempt from the draft, and any supplemental roster player would have to be offered a senior roster contract by his new team if he is selected.

RSL would also get to pull back one of its unprotected players if NYC FC or Orlando uses a pick on one of its own players. That means there could be as many as 12 protected players by the end of the draft, and no team can lose more than two players to expansion.

Do you agree? Disagree? Let us know in the comment boards.

Nick Rimando, GK: The all-time shutout leader in Major League Soccer is getting older at 35, but he’s still got several years left in his frame. Rimando made 71 saves with seven shutouts en route to a 1.04 goals-against average.

(Photo: Deseret News file photo)
(Photo: Deseret News file photo)

Joao Plata, FWD: The diminutive Ecuadorian is coming off a breakout year in 2014 when he tallied a team-high 13 goals on 32 shots on target to power RSL’s attack. He added six assists, the third-most in Salt Lake City. Kyle Beckerman, MF: The U.S. international and RSL team captain has been a key vertebrae in the spine of RSL’s 4-4-2 formation since coming over from Colorado in 2007. Beckerman, 33, totaled 21 shots on goal for RSL, the second-most on the team, despite missing two months in the summer while playing for the national team at the World Cup in Brazil.

Javier Morales, MF: To this point on the list, RSL hasn’t protected any of its three designated players. But it will now. Morales had a team-high 12 assists in 2014 and continues to get better with age despite his 35 years in 2014, when he scored six goals.

Ned Grabavoy, MF: Grabavoy struck for two goals and three assists in 2,711 minutes for RSL in 2014, but his contributions to the team go beyond the field. The sixth-year RSL player has been a fixture on the wing of his team’s trademark diamond formation, and his veteran presence in the locker room is evident after every game. A media favorite, Grabavoy is the kind of player a new team like Orlando or NYC FC searches for in an expansion draft.

Tony Beltran, DEF: The seven-year professional was drafted by RSL with the third-overall pick in the 2008 SuperDraft, and he’s been a full-time starter at fullback since 2011. This year, Beltran played 2,483 minutes, when he tallied seven shots and only committed 39 fouls as an anchor for the back line. Beltran hopes to step up his role as a leader on the 2015 team, and RSL will look to him as one of its top veterans within the organization.

Chris Schuler, DEF: With Nat Borchers reportedly traded to Portland, RSL is short on central defenders, and Schuler is the best on the team — and one of the best in MLS, with reported national team interest. Schuler played 2,154 minutes, starting every game he played in and scoring three goals. The hulking defensive presence figures to be a fixture on the RSL back line for as long as he remains in the league. Not bad for a former third-round SuperDraft pick.

Carlos Salcedo, DEF: The 21-year-old Mexican international has publicly said he is unhappy with his situation at the club, but he is also a strong defender in MLS and one of the top professionals from Mexico plying his trade in North America. If Borchers’ move to the Timbers is finalized, Salcedo will have an immediate starting spot available to him in 2015.

Sebastian Jaime, FWD: The 27-year-old striker from Argentina joined RSL shortly before the 2014 transfer window closed, and though he failed to register on the score sheet, he quickly worked his way to three starts in six appearances. Jaime registered 39 goals in 124 appearances with Chilean side Union Espanola, helping it to the Primera Division title in 2013.

Olmes Garcia, FWD: Garcia scored three goals in 23 games played, primarily off the bench, for RSL in 2014, and his role could expand significantly going forward. The 24-year-old Colombian could see more minutes with the departure of Robbie Findley, and the club could use his youth after RSL failed to pick up former homegrown player Benji Lopez’s option in the offseason.

Luke Mulholland, MF: The final protected spot is a difficult position for any team in MLS, as RSL officials have admitted on several occasions. But the RSL newcomer had six goals and seven assists in 31 appearances in his first year in MLS following back-to-back selections to the NASL Best XI. A natural on the wing and going forward, Mulholland also impressed coaches and officials with his defensive responsibilities in 2014.

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