Crew cuts loose some younger players

Crew SC begins the offseason holding onto its core from the 2017 season but parting with some of its youth.

The club announced Friday that it picked up 2018 options on nine players: defenders Harrison Afful, Lalas Abubakar, Connor Maloney and Josh Williams; midfielders Artur, Mohammed Abu, Niko Hansen and Cristian Martinez; and forward Ola Kamara.

The Crew declined options on goalkeepers Brad Stuver and Logan Ketterer, defenders Waylon Francis and Gaston Sauro and midfielders Marshall Hollingsworth, Rodrigo Saravia, Abuchi Obinwa and Ben Swanson. Swanson, 20, of Grove City signed a homegrown player contract with the Crew in late 2014.

“Some of our younger guys, we felt like they weren’t developing at the rate we wanted and they need to go out and play and be in an environment where they can play every week,” coach and sporting director Gregg Berhalter said.

Berhalter said Artur, who is on a season-long loan to Crew SC from Sao Paulo FC, will have his future discussed in the coming weeks.

“We have to see what (Sao Paulo) says and we have to see how we can deal with that,” Berhalter said.

The Crew also announced that it has extended an offer to Kekuta Manneh, who is now out of contract. The club remains in talks with Francis and Sauro. Francis posted a tweet Friday thanking fans and the team for his four years in Columbus. It ended with the line: “Now we just have to say goodbye and see you soon.”