Justen Glad’s rise to being one of the most prominent young centerbacks in Major League Soccer epitomizes the growth of soccer in America through developing its youth. Adding another feather to Glad’s cap is now a call-up to the U.S. Men’s National Team Camp running from January 10-28 in Carson, California.
The 20-year-old was the sixth homegrown player in Real Salt Lake history to sign a homegrown contract on April 7, 2014. In his first season with the club, Glad made six starts and seven appearances overall for RSL, totaling in 551 minutes.
Graduating from the RSL Academy, Glad helped the RSL-AZ U-16s reach the 2012-13 U.S. Soccer Developmental Academy National Championship, scoring the game-winning goal in the Academy’s 4-2 win over Solar Chelsea SC in the final.
On the international stage, Glad was a member of the U.S. U-17 squad that competed at the 2013 CONCACAF U-17 championships. The Wasatch Front player also started one match in both the 2015 CONCACAF Champions League and 2015 U.S. Open Cup.
In 2015 Glad scored his first professional goal as he headed home the first-ever home goal for USL side Real Monarchs SLC in a 1-1 draw against Portland. He was later named to the roster for the 2015 Chipotle MLS Homegrown Game where he saw 45 minutes of playtime against Chivas Guadalajara at Avaya Stadium in San Jose, California.
A breakout year in 2016 told the story for the young Real Salt Lake defender where he set the new standard for homegrown talent in Utah and arguably the rest of Major League Soccer. Glad featured in 28 games for the club, 27 of which he started.
Scoring his first career goal against Sporting Kansas City in a 2-1 win in early-April solidified his intentions to make his mark on RSL’s backline. He added his final two goals of the year on October 1st in a match at San Jose Earthquakes.
Glad played 2,424 minutes in his third year in an RSL shirt and was named to the 2016 Chipotle MLS Homegrown team for the second consecutive year, a game in which he started and played 45 minutes. To cap his breakout year in Salt Lake, Glad was voted by his teammates and coaching staff as RSL’s Defender of the Year for his performance during the regular season.
Glad played with the United States U-20s at the 2017 U-20 FIFA World Cup wherehe played in four games, scoring one goal against New Zealand in the Round of 16. Due to his international duties, the Tucson native only played in 18 games for RSL, but started in every match he featured in to become a staple on the RSL back line after playing 1,620 minutes.
During the 2017 season, Glad started all 18 games he played including 11 shots, five on goal, and racked up a total of 1,620 minutes.
Tickets to see Glad and the rest of the squad can be purchased online at https://www.rsl.com/tickets.
