This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

A week before the official start to Major League Soccer's offseason, Real Salt Lake announced Monday it exercised options on seven players and re-signed longtime center back Jamison Olave. RSL exercised 2016 contract options on Luke Mulholland, Olmes Garcia, Devon Sandoval, John Stertzer, Boyd Okwuonu, Abdoulie Mansally and goalkeeper Lalo Fernandez.

The RSL roster now stands at 21 players.

The club chose not to exercise options on defenders Elias Vasquez, Demar Phillips, Phanuel Kavita and Brazilian midfielder Pecka, all of whom were first-year players at RSL in 2015. RSL has until Thursday, Dec. 10, to re-sign any Re-Entry Draft eligible players, plus those whose options were not exercised. So a chance remains any of the four could return to RSL in 2016.

Re-signing Olave, who turns 35 in April, comes less than two weeks after RSL re-signed Javier Morales to a multi-year contract extension on Nov. 19. Entering this offseason, both Morales and Olave were out-of-contract at the club. Defender Chris Schuler and midfielders Luis Gil and Luis Silva remain out-of-contract at RSL.

Olave started 22 league matches in 2015, logging 1,852 minutes, but was shown a red card three times. He scored one goal and notched an assist in league play. He also scored the game-winner against Guatemalan side C.S.D Municipal in the CONCACAF Champions League group stage finale on Oct. 20. He was one of the priciest players on RSL's roster a year go, but due to league and club policy, terms of the new contract are not disclosed.

RSL will enter the offseason with just three center backs on the roster: Olave, Aaron Maund and Justen Glad. General manager Craig Waibel noted after the season ended that central defense would be a position of need and focus before RSL reconvenes for the start of training cam on Friday, Jan. 22, 2016.

Vasquez, who signed with RSL in late February, saw time in 15 league matches, playing nearly 1,300 minutes. The 23-year-old Guatemalan defender had an up-and-down season in central defense for RSL. Phillips, who was acquired to replace former left back Chris Wingert, played in 18 regular-season games. But injuries, inconsistent play and national-team call-ups left the Jamaican defender as one of several who started matches on the left side of the RSL defense.

Pecka, signed out of the NASL, started just one regular-season match in 2015. Kavita attended Highland High School and graduated from Clemson before signing a Homegrown contract with RSL in January. He saw time with Real Monarchs and started two regular-season matches this year.

-Chris Kamrani

Twitter: @chriskamrani