SANDY — With a busy offseason ahead, Real Salt Lake kicked it off Monday by re-signing defender Demar Phillips and picking up the options of defender David Horst, and midfielders Luke Mulholland, Sunday Stephen, and Sebastian Saucedo. RSL had recently exercised the purchase option on forward Jefferson Savarino.
In the 60 matches Phillips has appeared in his RSL career, the Jamaica native started 50 of them over three seasons. Phillips is looking forward to returning to the club for the 2018 season.
"I'm happy to come back and looking forward to next season," Phillips said in a team news release. "I bring hard work and dedication and I'm looking forward to new challenges and having our first preseason with Mike Petke."
RSL already has 13 players on the roster with guaranteed contracts going into next season — defender Justen Glad, midfielders Albert Rusnák and Luis Silva and forward Joao Plata.
RSL has also announced the declined options of 11 players, including midfielder Kyle Beckerman, goalkeeper Nick Rimando and defender Chris Wingert. All are without a contract entering this offseason. Forward Brooks Lennon's loan from Liverpool FC will expire by the end of this year.
Beckerman, Wingert and Rimando will be on the free-agent market if they don't reach an agreement with RSL.
Finishing the season 13-15-6, RSL failed to make the playoffs, coming up short in the fight to secure the sixth seed in the West.
Petke recently signed a long-term contract extension.
Real Salt Lake's roster after Monday:
Goalkeepers (1): Connor Sparrow
Defenders (6): Danilo Acosta, Tony Beltran, Justen Glad, David Horst, Demar Phillips, Marcelo Silva
Midfielders (6): Nick Besler, Jose Hernandez, Luke Mulholland, Albert Rusnák, Sebastian Saucedo, Sunny
Forwards (5): Jordan Allen, Yura Movsisyan, Joao Plata, Jefferson Savarino, Luis Silva