Real Salt Lake announced Monday the waiving of four players - FW Kyle Brown, MF Duke Hashimoto, DF Ritchie Kotschau and DF Chris Lancos - in advance of the Major League Soccer Waiver Draft, which will take place via conference call beginning at 1:00 p.m. MT on Tuesday afternoon. Today's transactions by RSL fall on the annual MLS roster and salary budget compliance date, by which all 14 clubs must be at or under the 28-man roster limit (18 senior players and 10 developmental players) and in compliance with the League's salary budget for their designated 18-man senior roster. A full listing of the players available in tomorrow's MLS Waiver Draft will be available at www.MLSnet.com by Tuesday morning.
"We thank all of these players for their contributions to our club. They were all a part of putting Real Salt Lake on the map and we wish them all the best in their future endeavors in and out of soccer," said RSL General Manager Garth Lagerwey. "In particular we'd like to thank Ritchie Kotschau for his efforts for our team toward the end of his stalwart MLS career. He is a true professional, a credit to the game and our club, and we expect him to continue making his mark in MLS long after he decides to hang up his boots."
Brown saw limited first-team action during his only season in Salt Lake City in 2007, scoring a pair of goals in eight appearances (three starts) in regular season play, including his first career MLS goal on Sept. 8 in a 4-3 defeat at the Houston Dynamo. Brown was able to make the most out of his time with RSL's Reserve Division squad last year, tying for the team lead with four goals and 10 starts and finishing second with 709 minutes played.
The 23-year-old Hashimoto did not see any first-team minutes after joining Real Salt Lake in a trade with the Columbus Crew in May 2006, but was a regular contributor in MLS Reserve Division, international friendly, and Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup affairs for the Utah side. Hashimoto was placed on Real Salt Lake's Season Ending Injury list on June 28, 2007, after he underwent successful surgery to repair a tear in the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, an injury he suffered during a practice session a week prior.
Kotschau was by far the veteran of the four players waived by RSL, as the defender has plied his trade in Major League Soccer since 1998. The 32-year-old Kotschau was a regular in the RSL line-up after singing with the club last May 30, starting 18 of his 20 appearances with the squad in his 10th MLS campaign. Kotschau has tallied 10 goals and 17 assists in 244 regular season appearances (220 starts) and has also notched a goal and an assist in 14 MLS Cup Playoff contests (11 starts).
Lancos made his MLS debut with Real Salt Lake during the 2007 campaign, one year after the squad drafted him in the fourth round of the 2006 MLS Supplemental Draft. After playing one season in the German third division (Regionalliga Sud) with FC Kaiserslatern's reserve squad, the 23-year-old Lancos returned to the States to tally one assist across 14 contests (eight starts) in his first MLS campaign.
