SANDY, Utah (Saturday, August 12, 2017)
–
Real Monarchs SLC
announced Saturday that the club has signed six-year MLS veteran MF
Danny Cruz
, pending league and federation approval. Cruz spent the first half of this campaign with the San Francisco Deltas of the NASL, and will not be available for selection by Head Coach
Mark Briggs
in tonight’s 7:00 p.m. MT kickoff at Rio Tinto Stadium, as the Utah side looks to improve upon its 9-0-1 home mark this season.
“Danny is an experienced veteran. He’s a professional and a proven winner,” Real Monarchs General Manager
Elliot Fall
said. “He is a versatile player and we expect him to be able to compete from day one.”
Cruz, 27, has 137 career MLS appearances, 99 of them in a starting role. He started his pro career with the Houston Dynamo in 2009 after being selected in the third round (41
st
overall) in the 2009 MLS SuperDraft. He played three seasons with the Dynamo before moving to D.C. United for the 2012 season. He then played two seasons with the Philadelphia Union in 2013 and 2014. In his MLS career, he amassed 12 goals and 13 assists. During the 2015 season, he went on loan to FK Bodo/Glimt in Norway. In 2016, he played for Minnesota United FC in the NASL and remained in the second division this year with the San Francisco Deltas.
"I'm extremely excited to be joining a great team and great organization,” said Cruz. “I'm thankful for this opportunity and I look forward to helping the Monarchs push towards a USL Championship this year."
The Monarchs currently set the pace in the USL with the league’s best record at 15-3-3 (48 points), seven clear of San Antonio FC in the West and 10 clear of Charlotte for the race to the top overall seed and home-field advantage in the USL Cup Playoffs. After previously setting a league record with a nine-game winning streak, the Monarchs are currently in the midst of a 11-match home unbeaten streak dating back to last season.
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 August 22 of this year, the
Zions Bank Real Academy
training campus arrives in Herriman, Utah, approximately 20 minutes southwest of Rio Tinto Stadium.
The $72 million facility
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 direction of Academy Director
Martin Vasquez
. The Herriman facility will provide adjacencies for an on-site charter school opening in Fall, 2017, with STEM disciplines (Science/Technology/Engineering/Math) for nearly 300 boys and girls.
Late last year in North Logan, Utah, RSL Owner
Dell Loy Hansen
broke ground on the first of a half-dozen regional training centers across Utah and Arizona to be built in the next 2-3 years. 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.
