When you have a chance as an organization to lock down a player like Joao Plata, you do it, right?
According to an Instagram post by Plata’s agent, Gonzalo Vargas, Plata signed a new contract at Real Salt Lake. RSL Communications confirmed a contract extension and salary increase.
He also says he’s an “jugador franquicia” — a “franchise player.”
There’s something surprising here — in December 2014, RSL purchased Plata’s contract from the multiple parties that owned him, and for a time, he was a Designated Player as a result, primarily because of the acquisition cost involved.