Legion announces year-end roster updates

I told you today would be a big day. Well, here’s some more news.

The Legion has finally announced its roster updates for 2023. We already knew about Mikey, Alex, Phanny and Trevor. Well, to that group you can add Mataeo Bunbury, Grayson Dupont, Prosper Kasim, Jake Rufe, Marlon Santos and Matt Van Oekel, whose options were all picked up by the club. Under existing contracts are Anderson Asiedu, Matthew Corcoran, Jonny Dean and Enzo Martinez. That makes 14 players coming back.

Here’s the downside: in addition to Zach Herivaux, who apparently had a player option but declined it, Bruno Lapa and Juan Agudelo are out of contract. Negotiations are under way for a new contract with Juan, but not, sadly, with Bruno. Club options were declined on Sadik Balarabe, Edi Horvat and Ryan James.

Among all of this there are a few surprising elements. First, Jonny Dean, who last offseason had been trialing in MLS, signed a multi-year contract rather than play a year and try his chances at moving up again. Second, letting Bruno Lapa go (which will be a surprise to those who weren’t in the know) will hurt, not just because of his indisputable talent, but he is also a fan favorite. That one makes no sense to this writer. Third, Ryan James, who admittedly didn’t play as much this year and wasn’t a starter is another skilled player is also a bit of a head-scratcher. Fourth, is Juan Agudelo really good enough to bring him back?

Clearly, the 2023 Legion is going to look a fair bit different. With only 14 players signed there have be quite a few new names incoming. We’ll keep you posted as the news comes in.