SANDY, Utah (Thursday, August 17, 2017) – Real Monarchs SLC (16-3-3, 51 points, USL #1 / West #1) travel this weekend for a Friday night regular-season contest in Kansas City, visiting Swope Park Rangers for a 6:30 p.m. MT kickoff. Friday marks the Monarchs’ first-ever trip to face Sporting Kansas City’s USL club on the road, with the Utah side winning both previous meetings on the Wasatch, including a 2-1 victory this year.
Monarchs FW Chandler Hoffman scored the game-winner in that match, one of seven this season for the Birmingham, Ala. Native, whose 14 goals this season rank him second overall in the race for the 2017 USL Golden Boot. Monarchs MF Charlie Adams boasts seven assists this year, also the second-highest league total, after earning assists on both goals in last Saturday’s 2-0 home victory over Colorado Springs.
Head Coach Mark Briggs’ club looks to improve upon its impressive 6-3-2 mark away from home prior to returning to Rio Tinto Stadium for back-to-back contests on August 25 and September 2 as the Monarchs pursue several goals within reach during the final 10 games of the campaign, including clinching its first-ever postseason berth, the No. 1 overall seed in the 2017 postseason, as well as pursuing new USL records for wins (21), points (69) and goals (61).
How to Follow Real Monarchs SLC @ Swope Park Rangers – Fri., August 18, 2017
- Coverage Begins: 6:30 p.m. MT
- Local Stream:www.RSL.com or www.USLsoccer.com
- English Radio: n/a
- Spanish Radio: n/a
- Online: The @RealMonarchs Twitter feed provides updates
Game Notes for Friday’s Monarchs @ Rangers 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 Swope Park is available HERE.
The scintillating 2017 Real Monarchs / USL season continues Friday, approaching the final third of the 32-game regular season, as Head Coach Mark Briggs’ USL pacesetters – with a 16-3-3 mark and a league-leading 51 points – claim the league’s top goal differential, +24 with 46 goals scored and 22 allowed in just 22 games, occupying first place overall in the USL, 10 clear of San Antonio FC in the West and now eight ahead of the East leader, Charlotte Independence (which has played one additional game), in the race for home-field advantage in the 2017 USL Cup Playoffs.
Following Friday night’s contest, the next two games for the Monarchs come at Rio Tinto Stadium, where the club is unbeaten in 12 straight games dating back to last season. Despite seeing its 10-game home win streak snapped with the July 31 0-0 draw against visiting Tulsa, the Monarchs retain confidence at Rio Tinto Stadium, where the club boasts a 10-0-1 mark this year and has lost just once in its last 17 games.
The Rio Tinto Stadium box office is open Mon.-Fri., 10a-6p; more information can be found online at www.RSL.com/Tickets. Current or interested RSL Royalty Season Ticket Members can purchase extra tickets at preferred pricing or gain assistance via the Fan Relations Hotline at 801-727-2702.
Opening on Tuesday, 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 last week) – will 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 300 boys and girls.
Opening in early October 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 $5 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.
