Schelotto To Stay, As A DP

Though several question-marks still surround the Columbus Crew for 2009, one very important piece of the puzzle will be returning, according to league sources who claim the club has reached an agreement with MLS & MLS Cup MVP Guillermo Barros Schelotto over a contract that would see him promoted to Designated Player status for next season, making him the first DP in Crew history. He would reportedly make somewhere in the range of $650,000 for his services, a healthy raise from his '08 guaranteed compensation of $375,000, which was just below the DP threshold.The Crew front office has been working hard to get a deal done with the Argentinean in the past few weeks, but were trying to figure a way to keep their DP slot open and retain Schelotto at the same time. Owner-operator Clark Hunt wondered if the league would approve of using a DP slot on someone who is already playing in Major League Soccer.

"There is a little bit of a league issue," Hunt told the Columbus Dispatch's Shawn Mitchell last week. "Is this something where the league really wants to go down that road? We already have a [talented player] whose performance on the field you can say is at a designated player level."

There is precedent for such a move, however, as DC United elevated the salary of 20-goal-scorer Luciano Emilio to DP levels in the last off-season after trading Christian Gomez to the Colorado Rapids for their Designated Player spot.

It is still unclear whether two other key people will be returning next season: Sigi Schmid and Chad Marshall. The 2008 MLS Coach of the Year and MLS Defender of the Year are exploring their options, with sources saying Schmid is interested in joining expansion Seattle Sounders FC, while Marshall is being shopped around Europe, with German clubs reportedly very interested. Columbus also lost midfielder Brad Evans in the expansion draft last week.

Along with Schelotto, the club has announced that defender Danny O'Rourke will be returning after signing a new multi-year contract. The Columbus native was a mainstay in the Crew's backline last year, starting 28 games and chipping in offensively with four assists. Per league policy, terms of the deal were not announced.

"Obviously, I'm extremely happy to be able to continue my MLS career playing for the city where I was born and raised," said O'Rourke. "My teammates and I had a great run in bringing the Crew its first MLS Cup this season, and I'm excited for the chance to do it all again next season and beyond."

* photo courtesy ISI Photos