HERIMMAN, Utah (Monday, May 10, 2021) – Real Monarchs have signed Irish defender Timi Sobowale from Manchester City, pending league and federation approval, as well as the approval of a P-1 visa. The terms of the signing have not been disclosed.
“Timi is a young cerebral defender who, for his age, carries himself with a great abundance of maturity. The expectation is for him to come in and be a stalwart defender for the Monarchs,” RSL Assistant General Manager Tony Beltran said. “We look forward to watching him continue to develop and mature as defender with the Monarchs.”
Sobowale, 19, comes to Utah from City’s youth pipeline where he played extensively within their academy. The young defender began his career with The Citizens in 2018 when he joined the U-18 team from Waterford schoolboy side Villa FC. In his first two seasons in Manchester he made 21 appearances and quickly found his way with the U-23 side in the Premier League 2.
At the international level Sobowale has dual citizenship with Nigeria but competes with the Republic of Ireland. Sobowale first broke into the youth system at age 16 when he debuted for the Republic of Ireland U-17s in 2018, the same year he signed with Manchester City. Since then he has worked his way into both the U-18 and the U-19 squads. Most recently Sobowale represented Ireland in the qualifiers for the UEFA European U-19 Championship.
The Monarchs opened the 2021 season on the road on Saturday, earning a 2-2 draw with San Antonio FC. The home opener at Zions Bank Stadium is Friday, May 14, at 7:30 p.m. MT. Tickets are available at RSL.com/monarchs/tickets or by calling 844-REAL-TIX (844-732-5849).
Player Information
Name: Timi Sobowale
Pronunciation: Timmy
Position: Defender
DOB: 01/27/2002
Height: 6’1”
Weight: 164 pounds
Real Monarchs current roster as of 5/10/21
Goalkeepers: Jimmy Slayton
Defenders: Kyle Adams, James Moberg, Kevin Saucedo, Timi Sobowale
Midfielders: Ibrahim Bance, Julio Benitez, Sam Brown, Brayan Gomez, Josimar Quintero
Forwards: Aris Briggs, Malik Johnson, Max Mata, Juan Vidal
