Columbus Crew head coach Gregg Berhalter has revealed that six recent roster changes were made because of financial constraints.
On Friday, the Ohio club declined options on the likes of Costa Rican forward Jairo Arrieta, Brazilian defender Glauber and 2008 MLS Cup winner Danny O'Rourke but Berhalter made clear that salary cap restrictions were the overriding reason.
"These were pretty straightforward ... It's basic, these things," Berhalter told MLSsoccer.com on Friday.
"Unfortunately, in our system with the salary cap, you have to make these decisions when the performance dips.
"It's purely financially motivated."
As for defenders Drew Beckie and Kyle Hyland and midfielder Konrad Warzycha, Berhalter just didn't see them fitting into the Crew roster.
"In these cases, for them to continue their career, they need to be playing first team football," Berhalter added. "For them, it's can we get to a situation where they're playing regularly and getting a chance to get into the league?"
