Carolina RailHawks extend Shipalane, retain Clarke and Johnson

The Carolina RailHawks welcomed new ownership on Friday, ushering out the disgraced Traffic Sports group in the process. They weren't done giving their fans good news yet, though, and had a pair of big announcements which should generate plenty of excitement ahead of the club's final match of the season against Indy Eleven FC.

While being introduced on Friday, new owner Steven Malik confirmed that both club President Curt Johnson and head coach Colin Clarke would be remaining with the RailHawks. That's huge news for the club and its fans, as that pair have done some sensational work over the past several seasons, despite ownership issues limiting their resources.

While that news will have fans excited, the big news of the day was the re-signing of their best player, Tiyi Shipalane, to a new multi-year contract. Shipalane has been one of the most exciting players in the NASL over the past several seasons, and I really thought he'd draw interest from either a MLS or  NASL side which could offer larger wages and a multi-year deal. The fact that Carolina managed to come to an agreement with Tiyi is a positive sign from the new owner, and hopefully, won't be the last big move the Cary club makes this winter.