Real Monarchs SLC 3-1 Seattle Sounders FC 2
April 11, 2018; Tacoma, Washington; Cheney Stadium
Real Monarchs SLC (4-0-0, 12 points); Seattle Sounders FC 2 (1-4-0, 3 points)
Man of the Match:
Scoring two goals in his second start with the Monarchs was MF Masta Kacher who scored in the 4
th
and 65
th
minutes to secure victory in the club’s first trip to Cheney Stadium in Tacoma, Washington. Both of Kacher’s goals came found the top corner of the net when his perfectly timed, first-time curling efforts left the S2 goalkeeper with no chance at a save.
Telling Stat: Against S2 the Monarchs won nearly 60% of its aerial battles, having won 59.1% of balls in the air to assert its dominance both defensively and offensively against Sounders 2.
What You Missed: The win in Seattle saw the Monarchs secure the best start to a season in its short four-year history, winning its fourth match in a row to begin the 2018 season. At 4-0-0, the Monarchs are now just two wins away from equaling the best-ever start to a season set by the Richmond Kickers (2011) and Rochester Rhinos (2012) who both started a season 6-0-0.
So What: With the victory over Seattle, the Monarchs have shown the depth in its team as Mark Briggs beat S2 having made seven changes to the lineup from the team that beat Phoenix Rising FC just five days prior. The Monarchs now carry that depth and momentum into what could be a potential USL Cup matchup come November against Eastern Conference power Tampa Bay Rowdies on April 21. The match – held at the famed Al Lang Stadium in St. Petersburg, Florida – will provide fans with yet another marquee match featuring the Monarchs in the season’s opening stages when the match kicks off at 5:30 p.m. MT.
