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D.C. United declines options on Marcelo Saragosa, Carlos Ruiz, and Lionard Pajoy

The first round of player cuts has come, with D.C. United declining their club options on Marcelo Saragosa, Carlos Ruiz, and Lionard Pajoy.

By Ben Bromley
USA TODAY Sports

A day after making some changes in the front office, D.C. United has begun the process of changing their roster. Marcelo Saragosa, Carlos Ruiz, and Lionard Pajoy all had their options declined as the team looks towards next season, into which none of these players looked to figure.

Marcelo Saragosa had his role as the crafty veteran in central midfielder taken by John Thorrington; with both him and Lewis Neal ahead for backup roles going into next season, releasing Saragosa makes sense. However, he did play well for the team down the stretch in 2012 and made meaningful contributions to the team. Releasing Carlos Ruiz was also a foregone conclusion, and the Guatemalan forward could not even make the bench down the stretch and was released for various off-field events during games. He had not played in months, and even when he did play, he looked poor.

The roster move that will have D.C. United fans upbeat is the release of the oft-offside Lionard Pajoy. Never a perfect player on his best days, the Pajoy of the end of 2012 regressed to the mean this year, proving to be both wasteful with chances and unable to provide any hold-up play. With these moves, United clears $390,000 off of their cap for next year.

Let us know what you think of these, D.C. United's first of many offseason personnel moves.

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