Left-sided Defender Formerly on Loan to FC Cincinnati in 2025 MLS Season; MLS Rights Acquired via Re-Entry Stage in December
HERRIMAN, Utah (Friday, January 16, 2026) - Real Salt Lake has permanently acquired DF Lukas Engel from English Championship side Middlesbrough, signing the versatile left-sided defender through December 2028, with a club option for the 2028-29 Major League Soccer season. The 27-year-old - a Denmark native - appeared in 41 MLS games last season on loan to FC Cincinnati, and will arrive on the Wasatch Front immediately to integrate with his new squad.
Engel, born Dec. 14, 1998, joins the Utah side in the first week of its 22nd preseason, looking to integrate with former FCC teammate DeAndre Yedlin, veterans Justen Glad, Alex Katranis and Philip Quinton, along with newly-contracted back line signings Sam Junqua and Kobi Henry, both of whom recently signed new deals with the Claret-and-Cobalt. The Danish left back joins Real Salt Lake prior to his 11th professional season, bringing international experience to the evolving RSL locker room.
"I’m obviously really happy and proud to have signed with Real Salt Lake," said Engel, who landed Thursday afternoon in Utah, just prior to the team's Saturday departure for Portugal. "For me, this feels like the correct next step in my career. The Club has shown a lot of confidence in me, which is quite meaningful. After talking with the coaching staff, as well as Kurt Schmid, I strongly felt the ambition and the plan for the project. That really motivates me, and I’m excited to get started, work hard, and give everything I have for the team and the fans.”
Purchased from Middlesbrough, and former teammate of ex-RSL midfielder Matt Crooks, Engel is no stranger to MLS, crossing the pond prior to spending the 2025 season with MLS Supporter Shield Runners-Up FC Cincinnati.
"For those that haven’t seen me play before, I can promise that I’ll give nothing but 100% and my very best every time I step on the field - I do hope that it will show! I can’t wait to play at home in front of the fans when we kick off on Feb. 28 against Seattle, and hopefully we’ll go on this season and win some trophies - that’s the aim!" said the left footed defender who appeared in 33 matches for The Orange and Blue logging 2735 minutes and notching four assists.
Lukas fits perfectly into the culture we are building in Utah," said RSL CSO Kurt Schmid. "Beyond his physical attributes and versatility, he brings a veteran voice that elevates those around him. His arrival provides us with a seasoned professional who knows what it takes to win in this league."
Engel - a veteran of 277 professional matches across Denmark, England and the United States in his career - has spent the majority of his career in his home nation, playing 183 games and scoring 20 goals from 2017-23 with Fremad Amager, Vejle Boldklub and Silkeborg before ending up at Middlesbrough prior to the 2023-24 Championship campaign. Engel scored twice and added four assists in his 53 career matches for The Boro.
Player Information
Name: Lukas Engel
Position: Defender
Height: 5’ 11”
Date of Birth: 14 December 1998
Age: 27
Birthplace: Kastrup, Denmark
Citizenship: Demark
How Acquired: Via permanent transfer from Middlesbrough (England) on January 15, 2025; MLS rights acquired via 2025 MLS Re-Entry Draft on December 16, 2025
In late November, RSL’s 2026 schedule was revealed, with the Club’s America First Field venue in Sandy slated to welcome global soccer icon Lionel Messi and Inter Miami CF to Utah for the first – and perhaps only – occasion on Wednesday, April 22, 2026. Join the 2026 RSL ticketing waitlist at www.RSL.com/tickets.
The Claret-and-Cobalt also released its complete 2026 preseason slate, various key dates during the celebratory 2026 FIFA World Cup year, and most importantly, the entire 34-game MLS regular season schedule (17 home games, 17 away in MLS), which features multiple international soccer legends who are expected to visit Sandy throughout 2026.
Top visiting athletes in addition to Messi and Co. expected to provide highly-anticipated moments include: Korean superstar Son Heung-min (Los Angeles Football Club, Sept. 5), German trophy king Thomas Müller(Vancouver Whitecaps FC, Sept. 19), beloved Mexican cult figure Chucky Lozano (San Diego FC, April 18) and another storied German star, Marco Reus (LA Galaxy, Nov. 7).
RSL’s complete 2026 regular season schedule is available at www.RSL.com.
Players, coaches and staff report this week ahead of the Club’s Jan. 12 preseason, which will feature 2026 preseason matches in Portugal and Southern California, as The Atlantic Cup tournament organizers and Coachella Valley schedule-makers solidified various slates.
Returning to Lagos, Portugal, where it had spent a portion of the 2024 preseason, Head Coach Pablo Mastroeni’s side will play three games over 13 days in the back half of January as part of the annual Atlantic Cup tourney, with the first two matches against legendary Danish sides Randers FC (Jan. 22) – once home to former RSL striker Yura Movsisyan – and Bröndby (Jan. 26), a side also connected to David Blitzer’s Global Football Holdings. RSL will conclude its Iberian peninsula experience against fellow MLS Western Conference foe FC Dallas (Jan. 30), before competing its 24-hour door-to-door travels, returning to Utah on Feb. 1
After spending the first week of February back in Utah, the Claret-and-Cobalt then wrap up its 22nd preseason slate with two games in Southern California, facing off against newly-transferred DF Kobi Henry’s former USL Championship side, Orange County SC (Feb. 7), as well as MLS Cup 2024 champions LA Galaxy (Feb. 13), the latter match being played outside of Palm Springs, Calif.
RSL then kicks off its 2026 Major League Soccer campaign on Sat., Feb. 21 at B.C. Place, home of the reigning Western Conference champion, Vancouver Whitecaps FC, one week prior to the Claret-and-Cobalt’s 2026 home opener at America First Field against long-time rival Seattle Sounders FC on Sat., Feb. 28. Both of RSL’s February games kick off at 5:30p MT, with season ticket and four-game packages available at www.RSL.com/tickets.
