HERRIMAN, Utah (Wednesday, July 12, 2023) – Real Monarchs (6-9-2, 21 points, 12th in West) return home to the Beehive state facing rivals Colorado Rapids 2 (11-1-4, 40 points, 1st in West) on Friday, July 14 with kickoff set for 8:00 p.m. MT. The Monarchs are unbeaten in their last three matches, their first unbeaten streak of this length since September 2022, while Colorado Rapids 2 are coming off a draw against Vancouver Whitecaps 2 where they won the shootout 4-3 to claim the extra point. Real Monarchs look to carry their improving form into the rest of July with a win against the best in the West.
Real Monarchs and Fernando Delgado shutout Minnesota United FC 2 in their last match while 2023 MLS SuperDraft pick Ilijah Paul and recently acquired Daron Iskenderian each scored a goal to lift the Monarchs over Minnesota in a 2-0 win. The Monarchs struck first, finding two goals early in the match while captain Gennaro Nigro and RSL Homegrown Delentz Pierre limited the oppositions ability to create within the final third.
Real Monarchs vs Colorado Rapids 2 Preview
Real Monarchs will be looking to claim a win against Colorado Rapids 2 after splitting a pair of games with the lesser side of the Rockies during the 2022 campaign. Last time these teams met it was the Monarchs who were victorious beating the Rapids 2-1 at Zions Bank Stadium to close out the inaugural season on MLS NEXT Pro.
After Delgado and the Monarchs backline shutout Minnesota United FC 2 in a 2-1 victory, the Monarchs have the chance to get their first streak of three shutouts in a row if the team prevents Colorado from finding the back of the net. Real Monarchs have been unable to prevent opponents from scoring at home this season being outscored by a differential of eight and have only found a single win at Zions Bank Stadium posting a record of 1W-5L-1D, one of the worst home marks in the league.
Up Next: On July 19, Real Monarchs will kick off against Crystal Palace U21 side in the second annual MLS NEXT Pro Invitational. Tickets for all Real Monarchs home games, including July 14th’s match vs. the Rapids and all MLS NEXT Pro Invitational matches, can be found at https://www.rsl.com/monarchs/tickets/. If viewing matches remotely, Real Monarchs games can be streamed either via Apple TV’s MLS Season Pass or through https://www.mlsnextpro.com/.
