SANDY, Utah (Friday, September 23, 2016) - Real Monarchs SLC (10-13-6, 36 pts, West #11) travel to Southern California Saturday for the club's final 2016 regular-season contest, needing to capture the full three points against rival LA Galaxy II to earn a shot at the USL Playoffs. With kickoff for the Monarchs at LA at 8:30 p.m. MT in Carson, Calif., Head Coach Freddy Juarez' team also needs a trio of results to go the Monarchs' way in order to claim the second-year club's first-ever postseason berth.
At 6:30 p.m. MT, Claret-and-Cobalt faithful will need to root for the Rio Grande Valley Toros to either draw or defeat San Antonio FC, while a pair of games kicking off at 8:00 p.m. MT will also provide a rooting interest for the RSL family. In order for a Monarchs' win to be enough, two home teams - Portland Timbers 2 and Orange County Blues - will need to lose or draw to open the door for the Monarchs in a scenario composite reminiscent of Real Salt Lake's 2009 qualification and resultant title.
The Monarchs would capture the eighth and final West seed at 39 points over San Antonio based on the "wins" tiebreaker, with the Utah side owning 11 if it captures the full three points on Saturday night on the campus of Cal State - Dominguez Hills. The Monarchs have heated up down the stretch to make the playoff race a possibility, posting a 4-2-2 mark in its last eight matches to insert itself into the Western Conference conversation, where seven teams within five points of each other have spent recent weeks battling for the final two playoff seeds. The USL postseason kicks off the weekend of Friday, September 30.
Last Saturday in Arizona, the Monarchs rebounded from an 0-1 deficit via goals from teenage Paraguayan FW Pedro Baez - his second goal in as many games - and Panamanian M/F Amet Ramirez, but the club was unable to make the 2-1 lead hold up over the final half-hour, as Arizona - already eliminated from postseason contention - won 3-2 to force the Monarchs to scoreboard-watch this weekend.
Ten days ago at Rio Tinto Stadium, newly-arrived MF Charlie Adams and FW Pedro Baez each scored their first goals of the USL campaign to take a scoreless halftime deadlock to a 2-0 decision for the home side. Adams’ opportunistic goal came off of a deflection from another recent roster addition, Mexican MF Jesus Leal. The ball slipped from Leal to Adams, who was able to place the ball into the far corner. But Adams wasn’t done for the night with his attacking contributions, as just eight minutes later, the Englishman split the San Antonio defense with a long ball to Paraguayan Baez, who slipped the ball past the visiting 'keeper for the 82nd minute insurance goal.
Monarchs GK Lalo Fernandez was back in action that night, with yet another shutout, giving him his eighth clean sheet of the season. Fernandez had 3 saves on the night, and now has 81 saves on the year, ranking him third among save leaders in the USL.
Last month, the Monarchs announced the signing of Mexican MF Leal, pending receipt of his ITC and P-1 visa. The former Club America midfielder is the third addition to the club in the late Summer window after previously signing internationals Adams (England) and FW Ramirez (Panama). Leal, 23, comes to the Monarchs from Club America, where he made his professional debut and appeared in the CONCACAF Champions League in 2013. After making four league appearances in Liga MX, he went on loan to second division club Cimarrones de Sonora, where he scored his first professional goal.
How to Follow Real Monarchs at LA Galaxy II
• Coverage Begins: 8:30 p.m. MT
• Web Stream: www.RSL.com/Monarchs // www.USLsoccer.com
• English TV: n/a
• English Radio: n/a
• Spanish Radio: n/a
• Online: The @RealMonarchs Twitter feed provides updates
