Whitecaps Decline Options on Aird, Smith, Sign Hurtado to Extension

The Vancouver Whitecaps have announced a number of roster moves ahead of the 2017 season. Most notably, the Whitecaps have declined options on Defenders Jordan Smith and Fraser Aird, as well as Goalkeeper Marco Carducci.

They picked up the options on 11 other players, including defenders Christian Dean, Jordan Harvey, Tim Parker, and Cole Seiler, goalkeeper Paolo Tornaghi, midfielders Marco Bustos, Kianz Froese, Ben McKendry, Russell Teibert and Nicolas Mezquida, as well as striker Kekuta Manneh. The club has also gently reminded that striker Blas Perez is out of contract and is eligible for the upcoming MLS-Re Entry Draft on December 16th.

The club also announced the signing of striker Erik Hurtado to a contract extension through the 2018 season. The deal also includes options for 2019 and 2020. I’ve said it before, Hurtado is far from a stellar player, however, he provides a nice depth option off the bench. He’s got decent speed, a great work ethic, and has the occasional hot streak around the net. Definitely a worthy player to have on the roster.

The Whitecaps continue to subtract players as they re-shape their roster; Hopefully we’ll be able to hear about an addition soon.

You can find the official news release here.