The San Jose Earthquakes announced today that the club has declined options on five players, including: defenders Ramiro Corrales, Ike Opara and Tim Ward and midfielders Joey Gjertsen and Khari Stephenson.

Corrales, 35, scored two goals and had seven assists in 22 games played during the 2012 season. The defender is a 14-year MLS veteran and the last remaining active player from the league’s inaugural 1996 campaign.

Opara, 23, scored three goals in 35 career appearances with the Earthquakes. The Generation adidas product missed most of 2010 and 2011 with foot injuries, but came back to appear in 16 games during the club’s most recent campaign.

Ward, 25, played in 16 games during three seasons in San Jose. He spent much of 2011 and all of 2012 on San Jose’s injured list.

Gjertsen, 30, has two goals and four assists in 36 games since signing with the Earthquakes in 2010. He missed the 2012 season after having surgery to repair damage to his right knee.

Stephenson, 31, scored eight goals and had eight assists in 69 games with the Earthquakes after joining the club in 2010. The Jamaican international found the net twice and chipped in with three assists during the Earthquakes’ 2012 campaign.

Transaction: San Jose Earthquakes (MLS) – San Jose Earthquakes decline options on D Ramiro Corrales, D Ike Opara, D Tim Ward, M Joey Gjertsen, M Khari Stephenson.