MONTREAL -- Quebecer Anthony Jackson-Hamel and goalkeeper Evan Bush are among the players who were not protected by the Montreal Impact for the MLS Expansion Draft on Nov. 19.
Saturday, the Impact unveiled its list of 12 players protected for the draft, and Jackson-Hamel and Bush are not part of it. The same fate befell Impact players Zachary Brault-Guillard, Omar Browne, Rudy Camacho, Jorge Corrales, Rod Fanni, Ken Krolicki, Bacary Sagna, Amar Sejdic, Maximiliano Urruti and Jeisson Vargas.
The Impact instead protected goalkeeper Clément Diop, defenders Victor Cabrera, Daniel Lovitz and Jukka Raitala, as well as midfielders Bojan Krkic, Lassi Lappalainen, Orji Okwonkwo, Ignacio Piatti, Samuel Piette, Saphir Taïder, Shamit Shome and Ballou Tabla.
MLS Adidas Generation program players who did not graduate by the end of the 2019 season, as well as club-trained players in the 25 and under age group, are excluded from the process. Thus, Jason Beaulieu, Mathieu Choiniere, Clément Bayiha, James Pantemis, Daniel Kinumbe, Karifa Yao and Thomas Meilleur-Giguère will be spared.
Inter Miami, owned by former EPL, MLS, Ligue 1 and Serie A star David Beckham, and Nashville SC, will kick off MLS seasons next year and will each be able to select five players from the other teams' unprotected players.
However, the teams that saw one of their players being chosen by FC Cincinnati last year - DC United, Vancouver Whitecaps, FC Dallas, Houston Dynamo and Red New York Bulls - are excluded.
Teams could lose up to one player in this draft.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 16, 2019.
