It was around this time last year that Nick DeLeon and Richie Laryea both found themselves on the outside looking in after their respective clubs declined to pick up their contract options for the 2019 season.
DeLeon, a seven-year veteran with D.C. United, had been a reliable starter for his first five seasons in Washington but was called on for just 15 appearances, 12 of them starts, in 2018. Laryea never made the impact he had hoped for after Orlando City selected him seventh overall in the 2016 SuperDraft. He had just 21 appearances, three starts, over three seasons.