HERRIMAN, Utah (Thursday, April 28, 2022) – Real Monarchs (0-2-2, 2 points, 10th in West) are set to host 2023 Major League Soccer expansion side, St. Louis City 2 (3-1-0, 4th in West), at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman, Utah on Friday, April 29 with kickoff set for 7:00 p.m. MT, as the team looks to earn their first win in the newly-formed MLS NEXT Pro.|
The switch from USL Championship to MLS NEXT Pro meant the loss of the Club’s beloved broadcast, but for the first time this season Real Monarchs will have former broadcasters Tom Hackett and Landon Southwick back at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman, Utah!
The match will still be streamed live on mslnextpro.com, but will utilize the Club’s in-house top-of-the-line broadcast equipment, a move away from the single-camera broadcast that has been used in prior matches this season. All Real Monarchs games going forward will be streamed using these cameras and with commentary from Hackett and Southwick.
Single game tickets this season are only five dollars and are available for purchase at rsl.com/monarchs/tickets/ or 844.REAL.TIX.
Real Monarchs vs St. Louis City 2
Zions Bank Stadium, Herriman, Utah
Friday, April 29 at 7:00 p.m. MT
Game Notes for Friday’s RM vs STL2 game Available Online
The Adobe PDF version of the 2022 MLS NEXT Pro Game Guide in advance of Friday’s contest between Real Monarchs and St. Louis City 2 can be found here. Media members looking to receive the document as an attachment or have further questions are asked to please contact Meg Van Dyk in RSL Communications via email at meg.vandyk@rsl.com
2022 Records: Real Monarchs (0-2-2, 2 points); St. Louis City 2 (3-1-0, 9 points)
Head-to-Head: Real Monarchs and St. Louis City 2 have not previously faced one another.
THE HOMEGROWNS ARE BACK
RSL Homegrowns Bode Davis and Chris Garcia made their first starts for the Monarchs in Sunday's 1-1 draw with Timbers 2. Davis and Garcia have been with Real Salt Lake up until this point in the season, each making two appearances in MLS play and starting in RSL’s U.S. Open Cup match against Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC.
Additionally, RSL goalkeeper Tomas Gomez made his first start for the Monarchs, recording a club-high nine saves.
A POINT ON THE ROAD
Behind a goal from Captain Pedro Fonseca and nine saves from goalkeeper Tomas Gomez, Real Monarchs earned its first points on the road in its 1-1 draw with Timbers 2. Monarchs midfielder Tyrone Mondi, in his first appearance of the season, led the team in shots with three in just 45 minutes of play. Real Monarchs look to build off this result as it looks to get its first win against St. Louis City 2 on Friday, April 29.
FOR CLUB AND COUNTRY
Midfielder Jude Wellings is the latest Monarchs player to be called to a national team camp, representing the United States U-17 side in Portugal as part of the UEFA Development Tournament in Castelo Branco, Portugal. Wellings is the third Monarchs player to receive a call-up in the last week, the others being goalkeeper Gavin Beavers and defender Luis Rivera. Wellings will miss the next match for Real Monarchs against Sporting KC II.
Real Salt Lake has had seven current or former academy players receive national team call ups in the past two weeks. Five of the seven players currently or previously played for the Monarchs, namely goalkeepers David Ochoa and Gavin Beavers, defenders Luis Rivera and Jaziel Orozco, and midfielder Jude Wellings.
Rivera recently started and played all 90 minutes for the United States in their historic 3-2 come-from-behind win over Belgium. Fellow RSL Academy product, Zavier Gozo, also started the match.
COMING HOME
Real Monarchs return to Zions Bank Stadium on Friday, April 29 to face St. Louis City 2 after two weeks without a home match. During the time off, many Monarchs players returned to the RSL Academy ranks and participated in the 2022 Generation Adidas Cup in Frisco, Texas. Defender Luis Rivera led the way for the Monarchs players earning Best XI for his stout defense and confidence on the ball. Additionally, defenders Bobby Pierre and Pierre Reedy recently made their RSL debuts, with Reedy coming on as a substitute against Colorado Rapids and both starting in the U.S. Open Cup match before the Monarchs returned to MLS NEXT Pro play.
Real Monarchs are returning to Herriman with its first road points of the season after its 1-1 draw with Timbers 2 on Sunday, April 24.
RACE FOR THE GOLDEN BOOT
Captain Pedro Fonseca has started the season on an offensive tear as he is currently second in the MLS NEXT Pro Golden Boot race with four goals, just one goal shy of league leader Roberto Avila. Fonseca netted another goal in the Monarchs’ last match against Timbers 2, marking his third-consecutive game with a goal. The Brazilian Midfielder is currently averaging one goal for every 90 minutes and leads all Monarchs players in shots with 10.
