HERRIMAN, Utah (Thursday, February 2, 2022) – Real Salt Lake has announced the season-long loan of Homegrown defender **Jaziel Orozco** to Santos Laguna in Liga MX.
The loan marks a return of sorts for the Mexican-born defender, who, as a dual-national, has competed in the youth systems of both the Mexican and United States National Teams. In addition, before ultimately choosing the Real Salt Lake Academy, Orozco participated in several training stints with Santos Laguna as a young teenager.
Orozco, 18, signed as the Club’s 30th all-time Homegrown Player on January 13, 2022, and has since appeared in four matches for Real Salt Lake, three of them starts. Additionally, Orozco has made 39 appearances for the Club’s second team, Real Monarchs, between MLS NEXT Pro and USL Championship. For his performance in 2022 he was named the Real Monarchs Defender of the Year, helping a struggling team as its captain end the year with a 5-3-3 record, including a four-game unbeaten streak in its last four games.
Santos Laguna, six-time champions of Liga MX, finished third in the 2022 Torneo Apertura, the league’s first-half tournament. Meanwhile, four games into the Torneo Clausura, the second-half tournament, Santos Laguna sits in fourth place with a 2-1-1 record.
Utah’s Major League Soccer side is currently amidst preseason preparations in Utah and Arizona in advance of the Club’s 19th regular-season kickoff on the weekend of Saturday, February 25 at Vancouver to kick off the 28th MLS campaign.
2023 Season Tickets can be purchased at www.RSL.com/tickets, or by calling 844.Real.Tix.
