Utah Royals FC “Return of Royalty” arrives this weekend, as the Club will officially play a competitive match for the first time since the franchise was relocated to Kansas City in 2020, welcoming Chicago Red Stars Saturday afternoon before a standing-room only America First Field, setting a NEE women's soccer attendance record in the Great State of Utah.
BROADCAST INFROMATION
WATCH on ION TV with JP Dellacamera & Jill Loyden :: Utah Royals FC vs. Chicago Red Stars | America First Field | 5:30 p.m. ET | ION (ch. 16 over-the-air in Utah / ch. 648 / 1016 Xfinity)
LISTEN via KSL Sports (102.7 FM / 1160 AM) with John Paul Chunga & Carla Haslam starting at 5:00 p.m. MT
Fans in the Beehive State have been waiting for this moment ever since the announcement nearly a year ago that Utah’s NWSL return was scheduled for 2024. Under the leadership of former Royals Captain-turned-coach Amy Rodriguez, the Royals have assembled a technical staff of varying backgrounds but with one unifying factor - playing experience.
Assistant Coach Vanessa Mann was a midfielder at UNLV prior to entering the collegiate coaching ranks for various institutions and eventually landing in Utah. Joining her on the bench is former D.C. United center back and assistant coach, Frederic Brillant. Rounding out the staff is Maryse Bard-Martel, who had a record-breaking career at the University of Memphis before receiving her “C” license as a goalkeeping coach.
Under the direction of Sporting Director Kelly Cousins, the expansion side has built a young roster with a healthy mix of NWSL experience and rookie talent. For Rodriguez and Cousins, a key element of this construction was having a cohesive and unified locker room, and the squad was hand-picked based on how they can contribute both on and off the field.
Newly named Captain Paige Monaghan embodies everything that Utah Royals FC will look to bring to the pitch in 2024; selflessness, grit, determination, and the desire to bring a championship to Utah.
When she leads the players out of the tunnel on Saturday, it will be to the sound of nearly 21,000 cheering Utahns welcoming their beloved team back to the state.
Rodriguez could become the first former NWSL player to win her first match as a head coach, though she’ll have competition from Racing Louisville FC’s new coach Bev Yanez, a two-time NWSL Shield winner, who takes on the Orlando Pride earlier that evening at 2 p.m. MT
NEW WAYS TO WATCH
Thanks to the NWSL’s landmark domestic media rights agreements, fans will now be able to watch more than 120 matches across national platforms, including CBS, ESPN, Prime Video and Scripps-owned ION. The remaining matches will be available for free on NWSL+, the league’s first-ever domestic direct to consumer streaming platform.
See here for more details on how to watch the NWSL in 2024.
