SANDY, Utah (Sunday, July 19, 2026) — Real Monarchs (6-9-4, 26 pts, 10th West) were unable to respond to Tacoma Defiance (7-8-4, 27 pts, 9th West) attack, falling 4-2 at America First Field on Sunday night.
Real Monarchs returned to America First Field for its second consecutive home match, following last weekend's match headlined by a dramatic 89th minute game winning goal from Spanish FW Jesús Barea. Head Coach Mark Lowry and his squad entered the Sunday night matchup looking to continue the strong form and earn another three points.
Earning his first-ever start with Real Monarchs tonight was midfielder Lionel Djiro. Just nine minutes into the match, the Ivory Coast native received the ball just outside the box before sending it central for MF Owen Anderson who showcased some flair and awareness by returning the ball to Djiro with a no-look pass with the back of his heel. After taking a couple of touches, the 22-year-old sent a powerful shot into the bottom right corner of the net to take the early 1-0 lead and secure his first goal with the Monarchs.
After suffering an unfortunate injury In the 31st minute, DF Linkon Ream was taken off the pitch and replaced by Chance Cowell, swaying the momentum of the match. Moments later the visitors were able to break through the defense in the 34th minute and took the lead with a second goal just five minutes later, putting the home side behind 2-1 late in the first half.
As the second half got under way, Djiro found an early scoring opportunity before Tacoma surged into the Monarchs defensive end, scoring its third goal of the evening in the 50th minute. Just four minutes later the visitors troubled its tally from the first half bringing the score to 4-1.
Although falling behind by three goals, the Monarchs continued to fight for offensive opportunities. In the 69th minute the home side was awarded a corner, FW Antonio Riquelme opted to take the set piece, sending the ball across the box where recently substituted MF Omar Marquez headed the ball to the far post for MF Izzy Amparo who tapped the ball into the back of the net to bring the score to 4-2. In the 85th minute, RSL Academy call up Nico Silva subbed into the match, making his professional debut, a milestone in the young midfielder’s career.
Real Monarchs start its long stretch of road matches next Sunday, July 26 to take on Portland TImbers 2 at Providence Park in Portland, Oregon. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. MT and will be streaming on OneFootball.
SLC 2 : 4 TAC
GOAL-SCORING SUMMARY:
SLC: Lionel Djiro (Owen Anderson) 9’: After receiving the ball outside of the box, Djiro passed it towards the middle for Anderson who sent the ball directly back to the midfielder with his heel. After receiving the ball, Djiro took two touches before sending a left footed shot into the bottom right corner of the net.
TAC: Charlie Gaffney (Mark Bronnik, Jasper Winslow)35’: Bronnik received the ball on the far right side of the pitch before sending it into the box for Gaffney who took a touch past his defender before sending a right footed shot into the back of the net.
TAC: Mark Bronnik (Xavi Gnaulati, Demian Alvarez) 39’: Bronnik received the ball just outside the left side of the box before taking two touches towards goal and sending a right footed shot into the top right corner of the net.
TAC: Mark Bronnik (Edson Carli) 50‘: Carli dribbled the ball downfield before passing it towards the middle for Brinnik who took a couple of touches before sending the ball into the bottom right side of the goal with his right foot.
TAC: Rafael Jauregui (Mark Bronnik, Charlie Gaffney) 55‘: Blank received the ball and sent a one touch pass into the middle of the box for Jauregui who took a touch around his defender and the goalkeeper to send the ball into the back of the net.
SLC: Izzy Amparo (Omar Marquez) 69’: After earning a corner, Riquelme sent the ball across the box to Marquez who headed the ball to the far post for Amparo’s one touch shot that deflected off of the visitors before going into the net.
LINEUPS:
Real Monarchs (5-4-1): Max Kerkvliet, Linkon Ream (Chance Cowell, 31’), Luis Rivera (Ruben Mesalles, 46’), Gio Calderon ©, Liam O’Gara, Felix Ewald; Lionel Djiro (Omar Marquez, 57’), Luca Moisa, Izzy Amparo (Nico Silva, 85’), Owen Anderson; Antonio Riquelme
Subs not used: Trace Alphin, Rylan Hashimoto, Hunter Peralta, Cris Rios
Tacoma Defiance (5-2-3): Max Anchor ©, Charlie Gaffney, Demian Alvarez, Gallatin Sandnes, Jasper Winslow, Codey Phoenix (Andrew Brown, 77’); Xavi Gnaulati (Daniel Robles, 63’), Mark Cian O’Neill; Edson Carli, Rafael Jauregui (Saku Kitafuji, 77’), Mark Bronnik (Vitalii Kolomiets, 84’)
Subs not used: Mohammed Shour, Adin Fikic
Stats Summary: SLC / TAC
Shots: 18 / 11
Shots on Goal: 5 / 5
Saves: 1 / 3
Corner Kicks: 5 / 3
Fouls: 16 / 14
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY:
TAC: Damian Alvarez (Yellow Card - 36’)
SLC: Antonio Riquelme (Yellow Card - 46’)
SLC: Liam O’Gara (Yellow Card - 63’)
TAC: Edson Carli (Yellow Card - 87’)
