THIS WEEK AT RSL
Tues., September 3 – Sun., September 8
Real Salt Lake
Last Saturday, RSL faced the Portland Timbers at Providence Park, a match that ultimately ended 1-0 in favor of the Timbers despite near-heroic efforts from RSL in the second half. The loss paired with results around the Western Conference dropped the club to fifth in the West but matches against teams vying for the top playoff seeds in the West could very well see RSL solidify a strong playoff position in the coming weeks.
RSL will return to action after the FIFA international window when faces the San Jose Earthquakes on Wednesday, September 11 at Rio Tinto Stadium.
During the bye week, RSL has a multitude of players participating in camps and matches for their international sides. MF Albert Rusnák is with Slovakia, FW Sam Johnson with Liberia, FW Jefferson Savarino with Venezuela, FW Corey Baird with the U.S., DF Justen Glad, DF Aaron Herrera, DF/FW Brooks Lennon and FW Sebastian Saucedo with the U.S. U-23s and GK David Ochoa with the U.S. U-20s. For a full schedule of RSL players on international duty, click here.
Utah Royals FC
After not featuring in NWSL action over the weekend, URFC prepares for a crucial match against the Portland Thorns on Friday at Rio Tinto Stadium. URFC currently occupies the fourth spot in the NWSL table with 28 points after 18 matches played. A win over the Thorns could vault URFC up the table as the playoffs draw nearer.
Like RSL, URFC saw multiple players feature for their respective national teams last week as USA DFs Becky Sauerbrunn and Kelley O’Hara along with FW Christen Press faced Portugal on August 29 in Philadelphia that resulted in a 4-0 win for the Stars-and-Stripes. Press notched two assists in the win over Portugal in Philadelphia. The Utah Royals FC trio together with the rest of the USWNT now face Portugal again on Tuesday (6:00 p.m. MT, ESPN2) from Allianz Field in Minnesota as part of its victory tour to celebrate its 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup championship.
DF Rachel Corsie featured for Scotland in an 8-0 drubbing of Cyprus as Scotland opened its 2021 UEFA Women’s Championship campaign. Corsie started and played the full 90 minutes to help Scotland to the emphatic shutout victory over Cyprus.
MF Gunny Jónsdóttir started and played the full 90 minutes on Monday as Iceland topped Slovakia 1-0 in its second match of its 2021 UEFA Women’s Championship qualifying campaign. Jónsdóttir and Iceland also topped Hungary 4-1 on August 29 to open the qualifying stage of the tournament. Iceland leads Group F having claimed two victories to open the qualifying rounds.
Real Monarchs SLC
The Monarchs played to a 2-2 draw with OKC Energy FC on Friday night at Zions Bank Stadium as DF Konrad Plewa’s first-half bicycle kick and FW Douglas Martinez’s team-leading 11th goal of the year helped earn a point on the night. The Monarchs now face a two-match week as it welcomes Las Vegas Lights FC on Wednesday before a trip to LA Galaxy II on Saturday.
Last week marked another important week for the Monarchs as it saw two impact transactions announced. First, the club sold defender Stanley Okumu to Swedish first division side IF Elfsborg for a record USL Championship fee for an outgoing player. Second, for his performance throughout the 2019 USL Championship campaign for the Monarchs, Martinez was signed by RSL to become the eighth player to sign with the first team having first signed with the Monarchs.
RSL Academy
The RSL Academy enters its first week of the regular season having completed its preparations for the upcoming 2019/20 U.S. Soccer Development Academy season. The RSL Academy opens its first season under the direction of Director Tom Spall on Saturday against the Portland Timbers at Zions Bank Real Academy. For the first time on Utah soil, the RSL Academy will see a U-15 contingent open Saturday’s proceedings at 9:00a MT, followed by the U-17s at 11:30a MT and the U-19s at 2:00p MT. Admission to RSL Academy matches are free and fans are strongly encouraged to attend to see the next generation of RSL hopefuls.
RSL Foundation
Kyle Beckerman and the RSL Foundation visited to the Navajo Reservation over the weekend to provide solar panels, batteries and lights to houses that have previously relied on gas generators. If you would like to make a donation to help bring power to these homes visit RSL.com/auction.
