SANDY, Utah (Thursday, March 17, 2016) – Real Monarchs SLC announced the signings of three players originally drafted by Real Salt Lake in the 2016 MLS SuperDraft, inking DF Max Lachowecki, MF Amass Amankona and GK Connor Sparrow to contracts. Per league and club policy, terms of the agreements were not disclosed.
Lachowecki was the 25th overall pick in the 2016 MLS SuperDraft, going to RSL in the second round. He played four seasons at the University of Notre Dame, starting in all 85 appearances for the Fighting Irish while scoring eight goals to go with nine assists. The 23-year-old left back had three goals and two assists as a sophomore in 2013, helping Notre Dame to the NCAA Championship.
“We’re excited with him because he comes from a very great college program and then you know they’re going to come with a good mentality and a good work ethic,” Monarchs Head Coach Freddy Juarez said. “Now it’s just teaching him things that he’s not used to seeing and hopefully he adapts.”
Amankona was picked 46th overall in the third round of the 2016 MLS SuperDraft. He scored 23 goals with 18 assists in 61 matches with Dayton over three seasons, including 13 goals and five assists in 23 matches in 2015. A native of Kumasi, Ghana, he was named Atlantic 10 Conference Most Valuable Player and Midfielder of the Year. A semifinalist for the MAC Hermann National Player of the Year honor, Amankona, 20, was also voted to the NSCAA All-American Second Team.
“He brings what you want from a number 10. He’s quick, he’s agile, he’s technical, he can create things out of nothing. It adds a little bit of a different flavor that we maybe at times lacked last year,” Juarez said. “He’s always smiling, he enjoys the game, he enjoys life, and that’s always good to have in a group.”
Sparrow was picked with RSL’s fourth pick in the 2016 MLS SuperDraft, going 65th overall in the fourth round. He started 49 matches in three seasons at Creighton, allowing 32 goals while earning 23 shutouts after playing his freshman season at University of Missouri-Kansas City. In his senior season with Creighton, he led the Blue Jays to the Elite Eight while posting nine shutouts in 23 matches, including one in a Sweet Sixteen victory over North Carolina.
“He has very good hands. He catches balls, which a lot of times is one of the hardest thing for a goalkeeper, but he has very good hands, and soft hands where he can get hold of a ball,” Juarez said. “He’s good with his feet, so he adds things that we want from our goalkeepers.”
The Monarchs open their second season at Rio Tinto Stadium against St. Louis FC on March 26. The club ended its inaugural season with a five-game winning streak to finish the season 7-13-8.
The general public sale for 2016 Monarchs season tickets is ongoing. The Rio Tinto Stadium box office is open Tues.-Fri., 10a-6p; more information can be found online at www.RSL.com/Monarchs/Schedule or via the Fan Relations Hotline at 801-727-2702.
