SANDY, Utah
(Sunday, March 18, 2018) —
Utah Royals FC
today added Scotland international Captain and DF
Rachel Corsie
to the club’s 2018 inaugural preseason roster, the former Seattle Reign FC player officially joining the club, Head Coach
Laura Harvey
announced today.
“Continuing to add someone of Rachel’s experience and quality to our roster is important as we grow the foundation for this franchise,” said Harvey, looking forward to next week’s inaugural reg. season game at Orlando City on Saturday, March 24 (5:30 p.m. MT kickoff). “Rachel’s knowledge of my setup from our time in Seattle is key, as is her unflappable attitude and Scotland international experience.”
Corsie arrived in Utah last month, spending numerous sessions on trial as a non-roster invitee during preseason, on either side of a pair of Scottish friendlies in Portugal against Norway. The Aberdeen native has scored three goals in 44 NWSL games with the Reign playing under Harvey, and found the back of the net 16 times in 94 games for Scotland since embarking on her national team career in 2009.
“Utah is a place where I had no expectation, no idea what it would be like, but it was a really exciting day when Laura called,” said the 28-year old Corsie, who has also played in England for Notts County between spells with Glasgow City, prior to her NWSL career, now entering a fourth season in the U.S. “I didn’t really know what to say when she asked me to come out to training camp, other than I would absolutely love to be there. I had seen everything on social media — everything that the club was trying to do — watched some of the interviews that (USWNT and Royals FC Captain)
Becky Sauerbrunn
had done, and I think that was something that was huge for the league as a whole, and the opportunity to be a part of this. It’s a privilege to just be asked here, and I’m excited to get started.”
Nearly a decade ago, Corsie captained the Scotland U-19 team to the finals of the 2008 UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship. At the 2009 Cyprus Cup, Corsie made her senior debut against France and was selected in all of Scotland's games at the tournament. Now just six appearances away from 100 senior caps, the majority of Corsie’s 16 goals have come from her getting forward from the center back position. She scored three goals during Scotland’s UEFA qualification for the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup, and captained the team to an historic 2-0 win over England at the 2011 Cyprus Cup, the first of its kind for Scotland in more than 30 years.
Corsie remains an Aberdeen FC supporter, as club legend Donald Colman was Corsie's great-grandfather. Off the field, Corsie has worked in professional services at Ernst & Young as an Assurance Associate, where her flexible working scheme enables her to do accountancy and play professionally side-by-side.
“I’ve played in the NWSL for the last three seasons, and I think it’s an extremely tough league — extremely competitive — and I’m going to bring some of that toughness into the season,” said Corsie, moving into a roster spot vacated by
Brittany Taylor Kolmel
’s decision to take a leave of absence from her professional career. “The added international experience also adds competitiveness to the league, and when you can add top-level players to every game, I think that is something we can really accomplish as a club, as we’ve got a lot of experience across the board.”
Corsie’s Scotland addition brings to 11 the number of recently active national team players on the club’s inaugural roster, representing 11 countries. With three each from the United States (Sauerbrunn, DF
Kelley O’Hara
and FW
Amy Rodriguez
) and Canada (MF
Desiree Scott
, M/F
Diana Matheson
and DF
Maegan Kelly
), the group also includes a pair of Scandinavians (MF
Gunny Jonsdottir
/ Iceland; and FW
Elise Thorsnes
/ Norway) as well as an Oceania pair (MF
Katie Bowen
/ New Zealand; and MF
Katrina Gorry
/ Australia).
“Home games are the best experiences,” continued Corsie. “I think for this club and for this city, if we can pack the stadium on April 14, it will be a fantastic experience. As a team and as players, we absolutely want to play the best we can to ensure that we win that game — that is our aspiration.”
Player: Rachel Corsie
Position: Defender
Height: 5 foot 9
Date of Birth: August 17, 1989
Hometown: Aberdeen, Scotland
Previous Club: Seattle Reign FC
Born less than four months ago and already supported by more than 4,000 season ticket holders, Utah Royals FC tickets are available by calling 844.Real.Tix or visiting www.UtahRoyalsFC.com. The club’s 24-game regular season kicks off on Sat., March 24 in Orlando, with a March 30 road game at Houston and an international bye week on April 7 prior to the club’s inaugural home game the afternoon of Saturday, April 14 at Rio Tinto Stadium.
Tune in daily to Mix 105.1 FM and follow the station’s social media regularly for chances to win VIP experiences in conjunction with Rachel Platten and Utah Royals FC players and personalities leading up to and including this historic event. Contest entrants can win a host of prizes, including (but not limited to): pre-game and in-game Platten meet and greets, photo opportunities in the NWSL team’s state-of-the-art locker room, April 14 game tickets, backstage access, exclusive inaugural season Utah Royals FC gear and fully-catered Rio Tinto Stadium party suites.
