REAL MONARCHS SLC HOST SACRAMENTO FRIDAY NIGHT IN USL WESTERN CONFERENCE QUARTERFINAL
Club Opens Inaugural Playoff Campaign Against Republic FC;
USL Frontrunners Led Regular Season w/ 20 Wins, 67 Points & More;
Opportunity for Monarchs to Build on USL’s Best Record, Regular Season Championship Title
SANDY, Utah (Thursday, October 19, 2017) – Real Monarchs SLC (20-5-7, 67 points, USL #1 / West #1) host Sacramento Republic FC Friday night in the first-ever USL Playoff match at Rio Tinto Stadium, with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m. MT. Head Coach Mark Briggs leads his team further into the single-elimination playoffs as the club looks to capitalize upon a record-setting season and in pursuit of a USL Cup title.
The Monarchs and Sacramento Republic FC have met twice previously in the 2017 regular season, with the Utah side winning both matches. Most recently, the Monarchs walked away from Northern California on September 27, 2-0 victors after goals from Juan Ignacio Mare and Chandler Hoffman paired with a stoppage-time penalty kick save from GK Andrew Putna to solidify the win.
Last week’s match saw the Monarchs take victory over LA Galaxy II in the final regular season match of 2017, winning 2-1 to finish with the league’s best home record (12-1-3) ahead of the playoff match with Republic FC. Appearing in the playoffs for the first time in its three-year history, Saturday’s match will be the first of four possible postseason matches for the Monarchs, who could face the winner of Swope Park Rangers and Phoenix Rising FC on Sat., Oct. 28, should the team advance past Republic.
How to Follow Real Monarchs SLC vs Sacramento Republic FC – Fri., Oct. 20, 2017
• Coverage Begins: 7:30 p.m. MT
• Local Stream:www.RSL.com w/ Bill Riley, Landon Southwick and Taran Meyer
• English Radio: ESPN700
• Spanish Radio: n/a
• Online: The @RealMonarchs Twitter feed provides updates
Game Notes for Friday’s Monarchs vs Sacramento Republic FC game Available Online
The link to the Adobe PDF version of the Game Guide in advance of Friday’s contest between Real Monarchs SLC and Sacramento Republic FC is available HERE. If you have any problems obtaining the document, would prefer to receive it as an attachment, or are seeking more information on the match, please contact Taran Meyer in the RSL Communications Department via email at tmeyer@RSL.com.
Elsewhere in the Claret-and-Cobalt pyramid, Real Salt Lake will host Western Conference rival Sporting Kansas City on Sunday afternoon for a ‘Decision Day’ matchup that will determine the club’s playoff fate. RSL enters the match on the back of a 0-1 loss at Rocky Mountain Rival Colorado Rapids last Sunday, a game where the Claret-and-Cobalt could not overcome an early deficit despite total domination on the attack. The club will advance to the 2017 MLS Playoffs if it wins against Sporting KC AND FC Dallas and San Jose BOTH fail to take the maximum points in their respective matches. RSL is unbeaten in its last seven matches at Rio Tinto Stadium – a run that includes winning four straight at home – to build on 25 points from its last 14 matches and a 12-12-4 record under Head Coach Mike Petke (just three losses in 14 games since July 1). RSL’s final match of the regular season against Sporting Kansas City is set to kick off 2:00 p.m. MT at Rio Tinto Stadium.
Opening last month, the Zions Bank Real Academy training campus arrives in Herriman, Utah, approximately 20 minutes southwest of Rio Tinto Stadium. The $72 million facility – which includes five grass “TORO Fields” (sod installation began earlier this August) – will soon serve as the daily training home beginning in 2018 for both of the club's professional teams – RSL (MLS) and Real Monarchs (USL) – while centralizing the club's U-18, U-16 and future U-14 development academy youth selections, under the supervision of Academy Director Martin Vasquez. The Herriman facility will provide adjacencies for an on-site charter school with STEM disciplines (Science/Technology/Engineering/Math) for nearly 200 boys and girls.
Opening in mid-November in North Logan, Utah, after breaking ground a year ago, RSL Owner Dell Loy Hansen will dedicate the first of a half-dozen regional training centers across Utah and Arizona to be built in the next 24-36 months. Each $6 million RTC houses a classroom, as well as an indoor and outdoor field, dedicated to fulfilling a curriculum consistent with the club's vision and mission for youth soccer training and education, and the continued development of both recreational and competitive pre-Academy (ages 7-12) initiatives across Utah and Arizona.
