Mina Tanaka joins Utah Royals FC from Kobe Leonessa of Japan’s WE League where she played 58 matches and scored 37 goals. She comes to the Beehive state after playing 13 seasons in Japan, appearing for Tokyo Verdy Beleza from 2011-2019 and INAC Kobe Leonessa from 2020-2024 with a ten match stint on loan in Germany’s Frauen-Bundesliga with Bayer Leverkusen in 2020. She has appeared in 4 major international tournaments for Japan. Tanaka has an eye for goal, winning the Nadeshiko golden boot title four times (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019). She was also named to Nadeshiko League Best XI five times (2015, 2016, 2017), and won back-to-back Nadeshiko League Best Player Awards in 2018 and 2019. Representing club and country, Tanaka has found the back of the net 211 times in 308 total club appearances as well as 30 goals in 74 senior international appearances. Tanaka’s presence was felt immediately upon arrival bringing an attacking poise scoring one goal in seven matches.
