RSL finalizes Pope trade

Real Salt Lake will have the first pick in today's 2005 MLS Supplemental Draft to be held via teleconference call from MLS headquarters. The four-round draft comes three weeks after the SuperDraft in which RSL selected 16-year-old Nikolas Besagno with the first pick in the draft.

Separately today, the team sent a second-round draft pick in the 2006 SuperDraft to the MetroStars to complete this week's Eddie Pope trade. RSL also announced that Joey Worthen, who graduated from Cottonwood High in 1998, will not be attending camp as a trialist. The 25-year-old midfielder remains under contract with the Richmond Kickers through the 2005 season.

"There are still a lot of quality players left from the 2005 MLS SuperDraft who are in the 2005 MLS Supplemental Draft," said head coach John Ellinger. "We've got some players in mind and we would like to select players in the Supplemental Draft that would fight for senior and developmental roster spots. We're trying to build depth in certain positions."

The supplemental draft will allow MLS clubs to continue to add to their rosters, which is expanding to an all-time-high 28 players (18 senior roster players and 10 developmental roster players).