REAL SALT LAKE WEEKLY UPDATE
Tues. – Sun., Dec. 5 - Dec. 10, 2017
SANDY, Utah (Tuesday, December 5, 2017) – The Real Salt Lake pyramid remains busy during the Claret-and-Cobalt offseason in preparation for 2018, as RSL and Real Monarchs SLC released its updated rosters while the club announced Utah Royals FC and Laura Harvey as the club’s new Women’s Professional Soccer League team name and head coach. The Real Salt Lake Academy teams spent the weekend in Florida, playing three matches each as part of the Winter Showcase in their U.S. Soccer Development Academy seasons. The Zions Bank Real Academy in Herriman is entering the final stages of construction with turf currently being laid inside the indoor facility.
Real Salt Lake
Real Salt Lake has announced that DF Tony Beltran has undergone two successful knee procedures and is on the road to recovery.
Both surgeries were performed by Dr. Andrew Cooper at Salt Lake Regional Medical Center.
In the first procedure, Dr. Cooper assessed and repaired the LCL and Postero-Lateral Corner in Beltran’s right knee. In the second, performed on November 30, Dr. Cooper performed full reconstructions in both his ACL and LCL in his right knee. Beltran initially suffered the injury during Real Salt Lake’s match with the Colorado Rapids on October 15.
“Because it was a multi-ligament reconstruction, we staged him in his procedures,” Dr. Cooper said, anticipating a nine-month recovery time. “He should do great. This is a real injury and if anyone will do the work to get fully recovered, it’s Tony.”
Beltran, 30, started in all 21 of his appearances for RSL in 2017, his tenth with the club since being selected third overall in the 2008 MLS SuperDraft. He scored his first MLS goal and added an assist, bringing his career total to 12 assists in 245 career matches, all with Real Salt Lake. The two-time MLS All-Star selection is one of five players to play 10 seasons with Real Salt Lake, joining Kyle Beckerman, Nick Rimando, Javier Morales and Chris Wingert.
Major League Soccer has announced several key off-season dates, including details of the 2017 MLS Expansion Draft as Los Angeles Football Club prepares for the club’s first season. The important dates are as follows:
Dec. 9 – 2017 MLS Cup – The 2017 MLS season will culminate with a rematch of last year’s MLS Cup featuring Toronto FC and Seattle Sounders as the Sounders look to defend its first-ever title. The match will begin at 2:00 p.m. MT and will be broadcast nationally on ESPN.
Dec. 10 – Half-Day Trade Window – Following a three-month roster freeze, MLS clubs may begin making adjustments to their rosters. This is a four-hour window in which clubs may sign and trade players.
Dec. 12 – 2017 MLS Expansion Draft – While Generation adidas and off-budget Homegrown Players are automatically exempt, current MLS clubs may protect up to 11 players from selection in the Expansion Draft. LAFC may select up to five players from the eligible MLS players pool. Only a single player can be drafted from any one club.
Dec. 12 – Free Agency Begins – Out of contract and Option Decline players that were at least 28 years old during the 2017 season and have at least eight years of MLS service are eligible for Free Agency.
Dec. 13 – 2017 MLS Waiver Draft – Consisting of players who have been waived by clubs and do not meet minimum years of service requirements for Re-Entry Draft or Free Agency; the draft is conducted in reverse order of 2017 season finish, taking into account postseason performance, with expansion LAFC picking 23rd.
Dec. 15 – 2017 MLS Re-Entry Draft, Stage 1 – The Re-Entry Draft is conducted in reverse order of 2017 season finish, taking into account postseason performance, with expansion LAFC selecting last. The list of players eligible for selection in the Re-Entry Draft will be released by MLS Communications on Dec. 14.
Dec. 21 – 2017 MLS Re-Entry Draft, Stage 2 – The list of players eligible for selection in the Re-Entry Draft, Stage 2 will be released by MLS Communications on Dec. 20.
Utah Royals
Last Friday the club announced the name and logo of the newest piece to the RSL pyramid as Utah RoyalsFC ahead of its inaugural season in the NWSL set to begin April of 2018. Featuring the silhouette of Delicate Arch – Utah’s most famous monument – paired with a lion and the club’s name, the Royal’s logo carries the club’s colors and the crown represented by all of the teams under the RSL brand.
On Monday Real Salt Lake General Manager Craig Waibel named two-time NWSL Coach of the Year Laura Harvey as the club’s inaugural head coach for the franchise’s entry into the league’s sixth season. Harvey met with and spoke to local media last Thursday in her first official trip to Utah saying “The move to Utah is something that excites me. The facilities, environment, the resources are already settled for RSL and it’s all about winning for me.”
Logan Groundbreaking
RSL Owner Dell Loy Hansen officially opened the club’s training facility in North Logan City on Monday, providing a location for players, coaches, referees, clubs and individuals from Cache Valley and beyond the opportunity to gather and engage for training and learning opportunities. The facility is the first of eight planned satellite training facilities across Utah and Arizona.
The $6 million, privately-funded North Logan Regional Training Facility is equipped with a regulation-size indoor field and is situated proximate to an outdoor pitch at Meadow View Park, the resources available to the public to be used to facilitate time on the ball for youth players aged 7-14 years old. Future regional training center locations are planned to be built in the next four-to-five years along the Wasatch Front in Utah, from Logan in the north to St. George in the southern edge of the state, as well as a pair of Arizona locations proximate to both Phoenix and Tucson. The facility will also provide rental opportunities for local youth clubs in Cache County and surrounding areas to train as well as opportunities for local adult leagues to be hosted throughout the year. Additionally, one regulation size outdoor field is slated to be constructed at a later date just east of the facility to be used for the same purposes.
Real Monarchs
Last Wednesday the Monarchs announced the signing of former Charleston Battery duo Justin Portillo and Maikel Chang along with former New York Cosmos defender David Diosa. Portillo and Chang both come to the Monarchs to strengthen an already rigid midfield core while Diosa adds stability and athleticism to the backline ahead of the 2018 season.
In addition to the three signings, the Monarchs announced last week its roster update as the offseason continues ahead of the 2018 season. The Monarchs announced that it has picked up the options of forward Chandler Hoffman; midfielders Sebastian Velasquez, Karsten Hanlin and Juan Ignacio Mare; with defender Michael Gallagher and goalkeeper Andrew Putna’s contract options being exercised.
Midfielders Charlie Adams and Andrew Brody along with defender James Moberg have been signed to new contracts for the 2018 season. Midfielder Danny Cruz was already under contract for 2018.
The Monarchs have declined the contract options of defenders Kyle Curinga and Max Lachowecki; midfielders Diego Calvo, Daniel Haber, Chase Minter; and forward Skyler Milne. Defenders Emilio Orozco, Riggs Lennon and Taylor Peay are out of contract with the club.
After both announcements, the Monarchs roster stands at 13 players.
Real Salt Lake Academy
The Real Salt Lake Academy sides spent the weekend in Florida for a U.S. Soccer Development Academy Winter Showcase where the U-19s played matches against the Philadelphia Union, Montreal Impact and Oakwood Soccer Club. The U-17s played against Atlanta United, Montreal Impact and Gottschee Academy in its respective matches during the showcase.
The weekend brought mixed results for both sides as the U-19s played to a 2-0-1 record after losing its first match of the weekend to the Philadelphia Union by a 4-1 score line – a match that ended a seven-match win streak – but the group was able to recover and topple the Montreal Impact 3-1 before closing out the weekend with a win against Oakwood Soccer Club 2-1 on Dec. 3.
Leading the way for the U-19s was FW Sebastian Soto who scored in every match over the weekend – scoring four goals – bringing his goal tally for the season to 21 in just 11 matches played. Also adding goals were MFs Jordan Pena and Erik Virgen as they scored first-half goals against the Impact on Dec. 1. The U-19s now own a 9-2-0 record (27 points), good for second place in the U.S.S.D.A. West Conference ahead of next weekend’s home match against Strikers FC.
The younger group began the showcase with a scoreless draw with Atlanta United on Dec. 1 with GK David Ortiz earning the shutout in goal. The second match of the weekend gave rise to a 3-0 loss to the Montreal Impact for the U-17s, its worst defeat of the year and the first time in 2017 the side failed to score at least one goal in a match.
The U-17s closed out the weekend with a 2-1 loss against Gottschee Academy to move to 0-2-1 (1 point) during the weekend. Scoring the lone goal in the match was MF George Pineda, his first for the RSL Academy.
The RSL Academy teams will return to the Salt Lake Valley for contests with Strikers FC on Dec. 9 at 11:00 a.m. for the U-17s and the U-19s at 1:30 p.m. The full RSL Academy schedule can be viewed here: rsla.ussoccerda.com
The rest of the Real Salt Lake Academy schedule can be found at RSL.com/Academy as well as any other information regarding the Zions Bank Real Academy in Herriman.If you plan on attending a training session / game and requesting access, please contact RSL Media Services personnel Taran Meyer at (801) 657-2161 / tmeyer@rsl.com a day in advance for arrangements.
The Zions Bank Real Academy Campus in Herriman - located at 14788 South Academy Parkway (3718 West) - MUST be entered off of Mountain View Corridor, just West of the Facility
