COLUMBUS – The 2023 MLS Cup champion Columbus Crew today announced year-end roster decisions following the conclusion of the Major League Soccer season that saw the Black & Gold capture their third league title in Club history with a 2-1 victory over LAFC on Saturday evening. The Crew have exercised the contract options on seven players while 14 players were already under contract for the 2024 season.
“Winning MLS Cup in front of our home fans was the culmination of the tireless efforts of our team, staff and the entire organization, and we are so proud of what we were able to accomplish,” said Tim Bezbatchenko, Crew President and General Manager. “As we celebrate the Cup, we also turn our attention towards the 2024 season, which is just around the corner. We are pleased to welcome back the core of the squad and look forward to getting preseason underway next month.”
The Crew exercised the options of goalkeeper Patrick Schulte; defenders Mohamed Farsi, Philip Quinton and Will Sands; and midfielders Alex Matan, Kevin Molino and Sean Zawadzki.
Goalkeeper Evan Bush; defenders Malte Amundsen, Rudy Camacho, Yevhen Cheberko, Keegan Hughes and Steven Moreira; midfielders Aidan Morris, Darlington Nagbe, and Yaw Yeboah; and forwards Max Arfsten, Cucho Hernandez, Christian Ramirez, Diego Rossi and Jacen Russell-Rowe were already under contract for the 2024 season.
The Crew declined the contract options of goalkeeper Brady Scott; defenders Jimmy Medranda and Jake Morris, and midfielder Isaiah Parente. The loan for defender Gustavo Vallecilla will expire on Dec. 31, 2023. Defender Josh Williams and midfielder Julian Gressel are out of contract.
Gressel, Medranda and Williams will be eligible for MLS Free Agency, while Jake Morris, Scott and Parente will be eligible for the MLS Re-Entry Process.
The updated roster currently stands at 21 players for the Black & Gold, and is listed alphabetically by position below:
Goalkeepers (2): Evan Bush, Patrick Schulte
Defenders (8): Malte Amundsen, Rudy Camacho, Yevhen Cheberko, Mohamed Farsi, Keegan Hughes, Steven Moreira, Philip Quinton, Will Sands
Midfielders (6): Kevin Molino, Alex Matan, Aidan Morris, Darlington Nagbe, Yaw Yeboah, Sean Zawadzki
Forwards (5): Max Arfsten, Cucho Hernandez, Christian Ramirez, Diego Rossi, Jacen Russell-Rowe
The End-of-Year Waivers process will take place from 5 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Dec. 12 through 5 p.m. ET on Thursday, Dec. 14. Free Agency is scheduled to open at 1 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Dec. 13.
Eligible players will be at least 24 years old in the year in which the immediately preceding League Season concluded and have at least five MLS service years. Thursday, Dec. 14 will be the start of the MLS Re-Entry Process with Stage 1 taking place at 1 p.m. ET and conclude on Thursday, Dec. 21 at 1 p.m. ET. The MLS SuperDraft 2024 presented by adidas will take place on Tuesday, Dec. 19 at 3 p.m. ET.
The full calendar of MLS offseason roster building events can be found here.
