21 players now under contract for 2017

MONTREAL – The Montreal Impact announced on Friday that it has exercised options for seven players, meaning that 21 players are currently under contract ahead of the 2017 season.

The club has exercised options for goalkeeper Evan Bush, for defender Donny Toia, for midfielders Harry Shipp, Johan Venegas and David Choinière, as well as for forwards Anthony Jackson-Hamel and Michael Salazar.

Goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau, who has signed a new deal at the beginning of the 2016 season, defenders Laurent Ciman, Víctor Cabrera, Hassoun Camara, Ambroise Oyongo and Kyle Fisher, midfielders Marco Donadel, Hernán Bernardello, Calum Mallace, Ignacio Piatti and Andrés Romero, as well as on-loan forward Matteo Mancosu, are already under contract for the 2017 season.

The Impact also had already signed winger Ballou Jean-Yves Tabla and midfielder Louis Béland-Goyette ahead of the 2017 season.

Goalkeeper Eric Kronberg, defender Wandrille Lefèvre and midfielders Patrice Bernier and Dominic Oduro are currently without a contract and in discussions with the Impact.

The club will not exercise the option for defender Amadou Dia, but he will be invited to the team’s next training camp.

The Impact has also announced that midfielders Kyle Bekker, Lucas Ontivero and Jeremy Gagnon-Laparé – the latter has been training in Europe in recent weeks – will not be back at the club in 2017. Neither will forward Didier Drogba, who confirmed as much a couple of weeks ago.

“We are very happy to bring back most of the players that contributed to our success this season and in the playoffs,” said Montreal Impact technical director Adam Braz. “But we will keep on working to improve this team ahead of the next season. I want to thank the players that will not return to the club for their contribution, both on and off the field. We wish them the best in their future endeavours.”