FC Cincinnati declines contract options for nine including Nick Hagglund, Przemyslaw Tytoń
FC Cincinnati won't have much room to maneuver its roster ahead of the 2022 Major League Soccer season but the announcement of its offseason roster decisions illustrated where turnover might be possible.
FC Cincinnati on Wednesday announced it declined the contract options of nine players while three additional players had their contracts expire. The result was the opening of eight senior roster spots, four supplemental roster spots and at least one international roster spot.
More: FC Cincinnati GM Chris Albright provides offseason update on head coaching search
The players whose contract options were declined included Edgar Castillo, Chris Duvall, Jonas Fjeldberg, Avionne Flanagan, Joseph-Claude Gyau, Nick Hagglund, Ben Lundt, Caleb Stanko, Przemyslaw Tytoń.
Haris Medunjanin, Florian Valot, and Maikel van der Werff saw their contracts expire.
"I’d like to thank each of these players for their contributions to FC Cincinnati,” general manager Chris Albright said in a news release. “We remain in discussions with a few players who saw their contracts expire about their futures with FC Cincinnati, and we wish the players who are departing all the best moving forward.”
More: These are the six moments that defined FC Cincinnati's 2021 season
The club opted to exercise one contract option, securing the return of defender Zico Bailey, FCC announced. Albright confirmed Tuesday the purchase option in defender Gustavo Vallecilla's contract would be triggered, securing his return, too.
Cincinnati already had 17 players on contract for 2022.
Even with the nine declined contract options and three out-of-contract players, the bulk of FC Cincinnati's salary cap space is committed to those 17 players.
The pool of returning, under-contract players includes: Luciano Acosta, Isaac Atanga, Álvaro Barreal, Tyler Blackett, Brenner Souza da Silva, Geoff Cameron, Allan Cruz, Calvin Harris, Yuya Kubo, Ronald Matarrita, Ben Mines, Kamohelo Mokotjo, Arquimides “Quimi” Ordonez, Kyle Scott, Beckham Sunderland, Brandon Vazquez, and Kenneth Vermeer.
"Our hands are tied a little bit," Albright said during a Tuesday news conference. "There are some – we don't have the full flexibility to go out and put the exact team on the field that I envision or we envision as a club, you know, but that's the beauty of MLS."
Declined options
• Edgar Castillo: A backup left back to Ronald Matarrita, Castillo was brought in primarily to assist when Matarrita was away on international duty with the Costa Rican national team. He played that role well, making 14 appearances and 12 starts, logging nearly 1,000 minutes. Castillo also scored one of the most memorable goals in FC Cincinnati history when he scored less than a minute into the July 9 "Hell is Real" Derby against Columbus Crew. Castillo's base salary in 2021 was $121,000, according to the Major League Soccer Players Association's salary data release in October. He occupied a senior roster spot.
More: Check out the Major League Soccer salary data for FC Cincinnati players
• Chris Duvall: Logged 86 minutes over four appearances after his signing with Cincinnati as a free agent following the secondary transfer window closing over the summer. Duvall's base salary was $81,375 and he occupied a supplemental roster spot.
• Jonas Fjeldberg: A 2021 MLS SuperDraft pick out of nearby Dayton, Fjeldberg made no first-team appearances. Fjeldberg's base salary was $63,547 and he occupied a supplemental roster spot.
• Avionne Flanagan: A 2021 MLS SuperDraft pick out of South Florida, Flanagan made no first-team appearances. Flanagan's base salary was $63,547 and he occupied a supplemental roster spot.
• Joseph-Claude Gyau: Gyau was signed during the secondary transfer window in August 2019 and went on to be a key player for FC Cincinnati over parts of three seasons. He made 50 appearances for FCC, logged more than 3,900 minutes for the club, and added a goal and an assist. Gyau's base salary in 2021 was $273,000 and he occupied a senior roster spot.
• Nick Hagglund: A native Cincinnatian and Xavier product, Hagglund made 57 appearances and logged more than 4,200 minutes over three seasons for FC Cincinnati after he was signed prior to the club's inaugural season. Hagglund scored two goals for the club, including a winner against Columbus during a closed-door match at Nippert Stadium during the pandemic-interrupted 2020 season. Hagglund's base salary in 2021 was $175,000. He occupied a senior roster spot.
• Ben Lundt: A 2019 MLS SuperDraft pick out of Akron, Lundt was an award-winning goalkeeper at the second-division USL Championship level but made no first-team appearances for FC Cincinnati. Lundt's base salary in 2021 was $85,444 and he occupied a supplemental roster spot.
• Caleb Stanko: After playing professionally in Germany, Stanko joined FC Cincinnati for the 2019 season and would make 56 appearances and 33 starts for the club. Stanko's base salary in 2021 was $210,000 and he occupied a senior roster spot.
• Przemyslaw Tytoń: The Poland international goalkeeper departs FC Cincinnati as its MLS leader in shutouts (10) and saves (118). He started in 41 of the 42 matches he appeared in for FC Cincinnati and started in net for the club's first-ever match. Tytoń was athletic but oft-injured, and was never able to distance himself in the competition to be the club's No. 1 goalkeeper. Tytoń's base salary in 2021 was $262,500.
Out of contract
• Haris Medunjanin: Medunjanin joined FCC for the 2020 season after several seasons with the Philadelphia Union following a career abroad. He was a veteran leader in Cincinnati, and made 50 appearances and 37 starts. The 2021 season saw Medunjanin score three goals and add two assists despite playing a limited role in 1,552 minutes. Medunjanin's base salary in 2021 was $570,000 and he occupied a senior roster spot.
• Florian Valot: Valot was one of two players acquired during the secondary transfer window over the summer via a trade with the New York Red Bulls. In a strange twist, Valot dressed but didn't play in a match against FC Cincinnati and flew back to Cincinnati with FCC after the match and the completion of the trade. He played in just 329 minutes after joining the club, though, and wanted to remain at FC Cincinnati but was not offered a contract. Valot's base salary in 2021 was $93,581 and he occupied a senior roster spot.
• Maikel van der Werff: A secondary transfer window pickup in 2019 who was supposed to solidify the back line, van der Werff's tenure at FCC disappointed as he appeared in just 24 matches and spent the entire 2021 season rehabbing injuries, which started during preseason camp. Van der Werff occupied a valuable international roster spot and was on $350,000 in base salary in 2021.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: FC Cincinnati roster: Club declines contract options for nine players
