RailHawks re-sign six players

Peter Koutroumpis, Triangle Sports Network
Peter Koutroumpis, Triangle Sports Network
Peter Koutroumpis, Triangle Sports Network

CARY, N.C. – The Carolina RailHawks announced the signing of six returning players earlier in the week on Tuesday.

After announcing that head coach Colin Clarke was signed to a new multi-year contract last week, the team announced that it had exercised the contract options on six players from its 2014 roster.

“Being able to bring back a core group of the players is an important piece for our plans in 2015,” Clarke said.

“This is the first of many moves as we build a championship roster for next season.”

The club picked up the options of defenders Daniel Scott and Connor Tobin; midfielders Leo Osaki, Nazmi Albadawi and Ty Shipalane; and forward Daniel Jackson.

All six would join Spanish forward Nacho Novo in returning to assume a spot on the 2015 roster.

Novo, a forward with 16-years of professional experience, spent most of his playing career with the Glasgow Rangers, a club which inducted him into their Hall of Fame earlier this year.

After joining the RailHawks in September, he earned multiple league honors and nominations.

Shipalane, a fan favorite and one of the most explosive players in the NASL, will be returning for his fifth season with Carolina, and has scored 19 goals in 91 career appearances.

The return of Albadawi, Osaki and Jackson allows the RailHawks to maintain a core of its youthful presence up front.

Tobin and Scott possess a combined 46-match level of experience that will form the basis of the back line for the coming season.

In the same announcement, Carolina declined the contract options of defenders Jordan Burt and Uriah Bentick; midfielders Gabe Latigue and Danny Barrera; and forward Aaron King.

“We’re currently working toward new deals for several players who are out of contract or whose options have been declined and look to finalize those in the coming weeks,” Clark said.

“In addition, we are in discussion with a variety of exciting players with an eye toward building a championship roster in 2015.”