Vancouver Whitecaps' Lucas Cavallini, centre, and Austin FC's Jon Gallagher vie for the ball during the second half of an MLS soccer game in Vancouver, on Saturday, October 1, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
DDVANCOUVER - Canadian international striker Lucas Cavallini and longtime defender Jake Nerwinski are among the players who will not be returning to the Vancouver Whitecaps for the 2023 Major League Soccer season.
The Whitecaps said Monday they did not exercise the contract options for Cavallini, Nerwinski, goalkeeper Cody Cropper, midfielder Leonard Owusu and defender Marcus Godinho.
Cavallini was the club's second-highest earner at US$1,462,500 behind fellow designated player Ryan Gauld ($2.265 million) in the 2022 season. He was also the highest-paid Canadian in MLS.
Cavallini, Godinho and Owusu are eligible for the MLS re-entry draft, while Cropper and Nerwinski are eligible for free agency.
The Whitecaps are also not picking up the options on striker Tosaint Ricketts and defender Florian Jungwirth, though the team said it is discussing opportunities off the pitch with those players.
The Whitecaps are exercising the contract option of centre back Derek Cornelius, who is on loan with Greek Super League side Panetolikos FC through December.
Cavallini, who was named to Canada's World Cup squad on Sunday, signed a three-year deal with an option for a fourth season in December 2019.
He had 18 goals in 63 appearances across all competitions with Vancouver. Cavallini also became a fixture on Canada's national team with 17 goals over 33 caps.
Nerwinski was selected seventh overall by Vancouver in the 2017 MLS SuperDraft. He made 141 appearances over six seasons with the Whitecaps, scoring four goals.
Godinho, who has five caps for Canada, made 26 appearances over two seasons in Vancouver. Owusu made 63 appearances over three seasons and Cropper made 15 appearances last season.
Cornelius, who has appeared 14 times for Canada, has one goal in 35 appearances with the Whitecaps since joining the team for the 2019 MLS season.
鈥淲e are very thankful to Cody, Jake, Marcus, Leo and Lucas,鈥 Whitecaps sporting director Axel Schuster said in a statement. 鈥淎ll of these men helped us win the 2022 Canadian Championship and are fantastic individuals. They will always be welcome at our club and we wish every one of them the very best.鈥
The Whitecaps have 23 players under contract for next season, with Cornelius and midfielder Caio Alexandre out on loan.
This report by 国产诱惑福利 was first published Nov. 14, 2022.
国产诱惑福利. All rights reserved.
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Tax: | |
| Today's total: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
