Utah Royals FC is thrilled to announce Kaysville, Utah’s own, Mikayla Cluff, as the Club’s first signing of the offseason.
Cluff who starred at Davis High School in Kaysville and then at Brigham Young University, has spent the last two seasons with the Orlando Pride in the National Women’s Soccer League after being drafted 14th overall in the 2021 NWSL draft.
The Club couldn’t be more proud to re-introduce a Utahn as the first player of this new era of Utah Royals FC. Here are five fast facts to get you up to speed on the URFC midfielder:
Beehive State Born and Raised
Mikayla Cluff (Colohan) was born in Kaysville, Utah on February 25, 1999. She spent her youth soccer career playing for a prominent local Club, La Roca, and won three straight state championships while playing for Davis High School. While attending Davis, Cluff was also named the 2016 Ms. Soccer of the Year by Deseret News. All these accolades as a Dart led to her receiving a scholarship offer to Brigham Young University, where she traveled south down I-15 for Provo.
A BYU Legend
Named the third-greatest female athlete in BYU history by KSLSports.com in 2023, it’s safe to say Cluff had an incredible career during her time in Utah County. The midfielder was named All-WCC first team each of her four years while at BYU, named the WCC Offensive Player of the Year for three seasons and became only the third player in WCC history to be named WCC Player of the Year. Cluff was named to the United Soccer Coaches First Team All-America squad three times as well.
Cluff helped the Cougars reach the 2021 NCAA Championship Game and was named the NCAA Women’s Division I Player of the Year by TopDrawerSoccer. By the end of her career in Provo, Cluff was the second-highest goalscorer in Cougar history (53 goals), becoming the 7th BYU player to ever be drafted into the NWSL when the Orlando Pride selected her 14th overall in 2021.
Midfield Maestro
During two seasons in sunny central Florida, Cluff’s versatility in the midfield proved to be one of her greatest assets. After impressing on the offensive end at BYU, Cluff re-invented herself as one of the NWSL’s best defenders with the Pride, finishing the 2023 season in the top 10 in the League for both tackles and tackles won. After only making eight starts in her rookie year with Orlando, Cluff became a stalwart in the 2023 Pride midfield, starting 17 games and appearing in 22. While her defensive metrics were impressive, her knack for offense remained, as Cluff scored four goals in her first two professional seasons.
For Club and Country
Cluff also has experience on the international stage, having been named to the United States Women’s Youth National Team U-17’s in 2016 and most recently being invited to train with the USWNT U-23’s in 2022.
A New Era
As Cluff continues her professional career with her hometown Utah Royals FC, fans can look forward to watching one of Utah’s own continue to grow right in front of their eyes.
“We’re so excited to welcome Mikayla back to Utah,” said URFC Head Coach Amy Rodriguez. “A player who has had so much success in the state at both the collegiate and high school level and has now shown to be an excellent NWSL player. She offers versatility in the midfield, which is so valuable in an expansion year. When evaluating players, we also put a big emphasis on their character and Mikayla is a great first step in building the culture we want in our locker room. We know how much she is loved in this state, and we can't wait for our fans to cheer her on in Utah again."
Don’t forget to secure your seat at America First Field for next season and help celebrate the Return of Royalty. Season tickets are available here.
