HERRIMAN, Utah (Tuesday, February 22, 2022) – Real Monarchs have unveiled the preseason roster in preparation for its 2022 campaign, the team’s inaugural MLS NEXT Pro season, Major League Soccer’s new professional league.
Led by Head Coach Jamison Olave and the veteran Monarchs coaching staff of assistants Joel DeLass and Mirza Harambasic, the preseason roster is highlighted by 25 current and former members of the Real Salt Lake Academy. RSL Homegrown Players Gavin Beavers, Julio Benitez, Jeff Dewsnup and Jude Wellings trained with the team last week while Real Salt Lake was in Portland, Oregon for their preseason tournament.
Additionally, seven current members of the RSL Academy have earned training time with Real Monarchs, including Blake Kelly, who featured for the Monarchs last season in its seventh and final USL Championship campaign. Other active RSL Academy products now in camp with Olave and his staff include: Izzy Amparo, Abokye Bikyeombe, Gershon Henry, Alex Lopez, Marcus Vasquez and Ethan Zamora.
Five players who could potentially feature in 2022 for the Monarchs are MF Pedro Fonseca, D/M Jasper Loffelsend, DF Bobby Pierre, M/F Pierre Reedy and FW Yekeson Subah, all of whom played for RSL Wednesday night in the team’s preseason match against Minnesota United, with four of the five in the starting lineup.
Additionally, RSL Homegrown Players Bode Davis and Jaziel Orozco started for the Claret-and-Cobalt in its 0-0 draw with Minnesota. Fourteen-year old FW Axel Kei – the RSL Academy striker who made his professional debut with the Monarchs last Fall – had been in Portland with RSL last week, playing the final 20 minutes of the Club’s 1-4 loss to Norweigan side Viking FK last weekend.
Returning to the 2022 Real Monarchs roster from last year is exciting young midfielder Leo Torres, who stood out during his short stint with the team in 2021 on loan from San Antonio, as well as RSL Academy MF Christian Nydegger.
Real Monarchs are set to complete a 24-game slate in MLS NEXT Pro for this 2022 season, the March-October schedule for which will be released in late February. This move comes after seven seasons in the USL Championship, during which the team won the 2019 USL Championship Final, the 2017 USL Regular Season Shield and the Western Conference Title in both 2017 and 2019, while also qualifying for the postseason in 2018.
Tickets for Real Monarchs can be purchased by calling 844.Real.Tix or visitingwww.RSL.com/tickets.
2022 REAL MONARCHS SLC PRESEASON ROSTER FAST FACTS:
Total Players: 39 2021 Returnees: 4
First-Team Signings: 11
Current Academy Players: 7 Former Academy Players: 18
Teenagers: 25 Aged 24+: 5
Nationalities Represented: 7 (United States, Mexico, Brazil, South Africa, Germany, Haiti, Ghana)
International Players: 5 – Evans Armah, Tomas Gomez, Pedro Fonseca, Jasper Loffelsend, Tyrone Mondi
Players w/ Utah Ties: 5 (DF Bode Davis, GK Jeff Dewsnup, DF Zack Farnsworth, MF Christian Nydegger, FW Evans Armah)
Injured Players: 5 (GK Gavin Beavers, GK Jeff Dewsnup, DF Zack Farnsworth, MF Bret Halsey, FW Charlie Wehan)
Returning Loanees: 1 (MF Leo Torres, via San Antonio)
Youngest Player: FW Axel Kei (14 years, 29 days) Oldest Player: GK Tomas Gomez (28 years, 8 months, 28 days)
