SANDY, Utah (Thursday, March 22, 2018) – Saturday’s Utah Royals FC inaugural NWSL kickoff at Orlando City will be available locally across Utah on each of the same broadcast destinations as Real Salt Lake and Real Monarchs, the club announced today.
This weekend’s 5:30 p.m. MT broadcast will be available to fans via broadcast television on KMYU TV (channel 2.2 over-the-air / 12 satellite / 643 Comcast HD), as well as through digital streaming via the KSL OTT app. With the exception of six NWSL Game of the Week appearances for Head Coach Laura Harvey’s team on Lifetime as part of the club’s 24-game slate for its inaugural NWSL season, all 18 non-national games will be available locally via the outlets listed above.
Calling the games this year will be revered play-by-play announcer
Greg Wrubell
, a 28-year veteran of Utah sports who serves as the “Voice of the Cougars” for BYU’s football, men’s basketball and women’s soccer programs. In addition to his radio play-by-play responsibilities, Wrubell is also the host of weekly radio and TV shows covering BYU sports. Before joining BYU Athletics, the Canadian native and BYU graduate was associated with the Cougars through more than 25 years of broadcasting on BYU’s flagship radio station, KSL Newsradio.
Wrubell will be joined in the booth by
Carla Haslam
, the recently-graduated former BYU women’s soccer player who has spent the past two seasons calling Real Monarchs SLC games for the club’s USL broadcasts. Haslam was thrust into the booth for BYU men’s soccer matches as a college freshman back in 2014, after working alongside Wrubell as his statistical spotter for various events during her college career.
“I’m grateful to Utah Royals FC for this tremendous opportunity to work alongside everyone from the club, especially Head Coach
Harvey
, her staff and players during this inaugural NWSL season,” said Wrubell, also the Director of Broadcast Media for BYU Athletics. “The organization’s leadership has already ensured that supporters will have a lot to cheer in the months ahead. I have a keen appreciation for women’s soccer, and I look forward to sharing my passion for the sport with the growing Utah Royals FC fan base during our telecasts. I am also eager to work with my friend Carla Haslam; she has a great mind for the game, an impressive background in the sport, and is truly gifted as a communicator.”
On local radio, Broadway Media stations will serve as the Royals FC game production and promotional partnership homes. While the club’s ESPN700 AM flagship will carry the majority of the games – as it has for RSL since 2007 and Real Monarchs since 2015 – Saturday’s match will be heard live on
Rewind 100.7 FM
due to a University of Utah programming conflict.
KMYU television has carried Real Salt Lake matches for seven of the last nine seasons, with only the 2013/14 year excepted. The 2018 season marks the first year for digital distribution via the KSL OTT (“over-the-top”) application on iOS/Android phones and streaming devices (i.e. Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire, etc.).
Utah Royals FC boasts no fewer than 11 recently active national team players on the club’s 24-player inaugural roster, representing seven countries. With three each from the United States (Sauerbrunn, DF
Kelley O’Hara
and FW
Amy Rodriguez
) and Canada (MF
Desiree Scott
, M/F
Diana Matheson
and DF
Maegan Kelly
), the group also includes a pair of Scandinavians (MF
Gunny Jonsdottir
/ Iceland; and FW
Elise Thorsnes
/ Norway), as well as an Oceania pair (MF
Katie Bowen
/ New Zealand; and MF
Katrina Gorry
/ Australia), following the official signing earlier this week of Scotland Captain and DF
Rachel Corsie
.
In just three weeks, the club’s Rio Tinto Stadium home opener on Saturday, April 14 will feature performances from
triple-platinum recording artist Rachel Platten
to commemorate the arrival of the National Women’s Soccer League to Utah.
Platten, the author and singer of recent Billboard Hot 100 megahits
“Fight Song”
and
“Stand by You”
will perform the national anthem prior to the nationally-televised NWSL Lifetime Game of the Week between Utah Royals FC and Chicago Red Stars. Following the match, Platten – hailed by TIME as
‘a torchbearer of women’s empowerment’
– will perform a post-game concert on the 20,000-seat venue’s field level. For more information on the Gold-certified and EMMY award-winning artist, please visit
www.RachelPlatten.com
.
Presented locally by Broadway Media and Mix 105.1 FM
, the Platten performance kicks off a new era for sports in Utah and a club which boasts 10 international players from the United States, Canada, Scotland, Iceland, Norway, Australia and New Zealand. Coached by revered tactician
Laura Harvey
– the winningest manager in NWSL history – Utah Royals FC’s guiding tenets of female advancement, teamwork and amplifying the power of individuality mesh perfectly with the chords of hope and resilience that connect Platten’s discography.
Born less than four months ago and already supported by more than 4,000 season ticket holders,
Utah Royals FC tickets are available
by calling 844.Real.Tix or visiting
www.UtahRoyalsFC.com
. The club’s 24-game regular season kicks off on Sat., March 24 in Orlando, with a March 30 road game at Houston and an international bye week on April 7 prior to the club’s inaugural home game the afternoon of Saturday, April 14 at Rio Tinto Stadium.
Tune in daily to Mix 105.1 FM
and follow the station’s social media regularly for chances to win VIP experiences in conjunction with Rachel Platten and Utah Royals FC players and personalities leading up to and including this historic event. Contest entrants can win a host of prizes, including (but not limited to): pre-game and in-game Platten meet and greets, photo opportunities in the NWSL team’s state-of-the-art locker room, April 14 game tickets, backstage access, exclusive inaugural season Utah Royals FC gear and fully-catered Rio Tinto Stadium party suites.
The 2018 Utah Royals FC season – which starts Saturday at Orlando and ends in early September –
boasts a Saturday-heavy home slate
at Rio Tinto Stadium, with
ZERO
Sunday home games – and just three Wednesday midweek home contests (May 9 v. Orlando; June 27 v. Seattle; and August 8 against Washington).
The Royals FC’s
12-game home calendar
features five Saturday afternoon games televised nationally from Rio Tinto Stadium as the
NWSL Game of the Week on Lifetime at 1:30 p.m. MT
, including the highly-anticipated inaugural home game on
Sat., April 14 against the Chicago Red Stars
.
Jenn Hildreth
and
Aly Wagner
return to the broadcast booth for the NWSL Game of the Week on Saturdays during the regular season – while sideline reporter
Dalen Cuff
will also be back as the host of the pregame show starting at 1:30 p.m. MT leading up to kickoff. NWSL fans outside of Utah can also enjoy games this season by watching livestreams of matches on the go90 app and website in the U.S., while international fans will be able to watch games on the NWSL app and
www.NWSLsoccer.com
.
In addition to the inaugural home game against Chicago Red Stars being showcased nationally, the first-year side also receives the Lifetime treatment on the following dates: Sat., April 21 at North Carolina; Sat., May 19 v. Houston; Sat., July 14 against Orlando; Sat., August 11 against Seattle, as part of
an historic Rio Tinto Stadium doubleheader with MLS side Real Salt Lake
; and Sat., September 8 against Chicago to close out the regular-season slate.
The 2018 schedule sees Utah Royals FC facing each of the other eight NWSL sides three times each, with the club hosting four teams twice each on the Wasatch Front: Chicago, which features USA star
Julie Ertz
, Australia’s
Sam Kerr
and Utah native
Michele Vasconcelos
; Harvey’s former Seattle Reign FC side, starring
Megan Rapinoe
and
Jess Fishlock
; Orlando Pride, featuring
Alex Morgan
(USA),
Marta
(BRA) and
Sydney Leroux
; and the Washington Spirit, with Utah’s
Ashley Hatch
and USA stars
Mallory Pugh, Rose Lavelle
and
Andi Sullivan
.
Meanwhile, Royals FC travels on two occasions for road games at the following four clubs: Portland Thorns FC (home of U.S. standouts
Tobin Heath
and
Christine Sinclair
), Houston Dash, featuring
Christen Press
(USA) and Utah’s own
Kealia Ohai
, North Carolina Courage (boasting
Crystal Dunn
and
Samantha Mewis
) and Sky Blue FC (led by
Carli Lloyd
).
The Utah Royals FC’s 2018 National Women’s Soccer League regular-season schedule follows:
Utah Royals FC kicks off 2018 with
three of its first four games away from home
, prior to a 22-day stretch from April 28 to May 19 that sees four consecutive home games against Portland, Washington, Orlando and Houston. Harvey’s group then travels for four straight contests prior to six of its next nine at home, prior to an East Coast swing at Sky Blue FC (Aug. 18) and Washington (Aug. 22) in the year’s penultimate regular-season games.
Throughout a seven-month regular season that sees
NWSL observe FIFA breaks / bye weeks
(no Royals FC games on the weekends of April 7, May 12, June 9, July 28 and Sept. 1), the new Utah club will endure three weeks that see it play
a trio of games on short rest
: a Sunday, June 24 trip to Chicago is followed by back-to-back home games on Wed., June 27 (Seattle) and Sat., June 30 (Sky Blue FC).
A Pacific Northwest homecoming for Harvey, Sauerbrunn, Matheson and Corsie features road games on Fri., July 6 at Portland and Wed., July 11 at Seattle, followed by a home contest on Sat., July 14 against Orlando. Finally, a Sunday, August 5 contest at Houston kicks off a week that sees Royals FC host Washington on Wed., August 8 and Seattle on Sat., August 11, again the first game of an NWSL/MLS doubleheader at Rio Tinto Stadium.
