By Aldo Amato,

RENO, Nev. – Eight players are on the Reno 1868 FC roster for the 2018 season pending league approval, the club announced Friday.

The club re-signed the following players to new contracts:

Brian Brown, forward (3 goals, 5 assists in 2017)

Brenton Griffiths, defender (2 goals, 100 clearances, 43 interceptions in 2017)

Seth Casiple, midfielder (4 goals, 3 assists in 2017)

Brent Richards, defender (2 goals, 3 assists in 2017)

Jordan Murrell, defender (3 goals, 78 clearances, 45 interceptions in 2017)

Dembakwi “Boxi” Yomba, forward (played twice in 2017)

The club exercised contract options on the following players:

Luis Felipe, midfielder (5 goals, 3 assists, 84 percent pass success rate in 2017)

Darwin Espinal, midfielder (2 goals, 5 key passes in 2017)

The following players’ options were not picked up:

Jordan Roberts, midfielder (1 regular season appearance)

Mac Pridham, forward (3 goals, 1 assist in 2017)

The club would like to thank Jordan Roberts and Mackenzie Pridham for their contributions on and off the pitch during the club’s inaugural season and wishes them well on their future endeavors.

Friday’s roster moves were only the start of the team-building process that is expected to stretch into 2018, Reno head coach Ian Russell said.

“We are excited about the eight players who we’ve already re-signed,” Russell said. “They represent the top-quality soccer that was on display at Greater Nevada Field last year.

“We cannot wait to build on this foundation we’ve set for 2018 as we add more players to the Reno roster.”

Reno General Manager Andy Smith added that the club is actively searching for new additions to the highest-scoring team in USL history that featured the league’s MVP and rookie of the year.

“This first wave of re-signings only lays a foundation of what we aim to build next year,” Smith said. “We’re still hoping to bring back additional players from last season’s squad in the next coming weeks.

“The players returning have a combined 21 goals between them and we’re ready to put an exciting product on the pitch at Greater Nevada Field.”

Reno 1868 FC will hold open tryouts on Dec. 2 and Dec. 16 at Golden Eagle Sports Complex in Sparks from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Those looking to try-out for the club are encouraged to sign-up at Reno1868fc.com/opentryouts.

As of Friday, the Reno 1868 FC roster stands as follows:

Defenders: (3) Brent Richards, Jordan Murrell, Brenton Griffiths

Midfielders: (3) Luis Felipe, Darwin Espinal, Seth Casiple

Forwards: (2) Brian Brown, Dembakwi “Boxi” Yomba