This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Real Salt Lake and center back Aaron Maund have reached an agreement to bring the defender back next season.
Maund's signing headlines a handful of moves the Major League Soccer franchise will finalize this week, as general manager Craig Waibel and company look to restock the team's roster after a disappointing finish to last season.
RSL is also bringing back veteran defender Chris Wingert to go along with the additions of Matt Van Oekel, the North American Soccer League's goalkeeper of the year last season, and midfielder Jose Hernandez, a homegrown signing who starred at UCLA.
Maund, 26, started 20 games last season for RSL before a foot injury cost him the final three months of the campaign. When healthy, Maund was arguably RSL's best defender and was developing a solid partnership with Justen Glad in central defense.
Wingert, 34, made 20 appearances last season, returning to Salt Lake after a season with New York City FC.
Van Oekel figures to be the primary backup to veteran goalkeeper Nick Rimando and the replacement for Jeff Attinella, whom RSL lost earlier this month in the league's expansion draft. Van Oekel, 30, spent last season with FC Edmonton, where he made 29 starts and saved 95 of the 111 shots he faced.
Hernandez, a product of RSL's youth academy, was the Pac-12 co-player of the year last season at UCLA, scoring five goals and notching six assists for the Bruins.
RSL will kick off its 2017 campaign on March 4 when it hosts Michael Bradley and the Eastern Conference champions of Toronto FC.
Twitter: @aaronfalk