2025 Utah Royals season
| 2024 season | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Owners | |
| Sporting Director | Kelly Cousins |
| Head coach | Jimmy Coenraets |
| Stadium |
|
| All statistics correct as of January 11, 2025. | |
The 2025 Utah Royals season will be the team's fifth season of existence in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), the top tier of women's soccer in the United States. It will be the club's second season after returning to the league in 2024. The club plays its home games at America First Field in Sandy, Utah.
Background
[edit]The Royals returned to the NWSL in 2024 following a three-year absence.[1] Led by head coach Amy Rodriguez, the team had a slow start to the season that saw them at the bottom of the league table after the first half of the season.[2] After a ten-game winless period,[3] the club fired Rodriguez in late June and replaced her with interim head coach Jimmy Coenraets.[4][5] Coenraets was promoted to a permanent role on October 24 after a more successful run of results and leading the Royals to a group victory in the 2024 NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup.[6][7] The team finished 11th overall at the end of the season, failing to qualify for the NWSL playoffs.[8]
Summary
[edit]Preseason
[edit]The Royals kicked off their preseason by announcing their end-of-year roster decisions. The club listed Zoe Burns, Julia Grosso, Shaelan Murison, Darielle O'Brien, Carly Nelson, and Cameron Tucker as players who would not be returning in 2025. Additionally, forward Hannah Betfort was listed as another player out of contract who was in negotiations with the Royals.[9] The next day, the club signed 15-year-old KK Ream using the NWSL Under-18 Entry Mechanism. Ream became the club's youngest signing, surpassing forward Ally Sentnor.[10] The Royals went on to add two more players on December 18 and December 30, trading to acquire Alex Loera[11] and signing former Texas Longhorns goalkeeper Mia Justus to her first professional contract.[12]
Following the turn of the new year, the Royals took to re-signing their current players. On January 7, Paige Monaghan was extended for three years, while Mandy McGlynn signed a five-year contract two days later.[13][14] On January 10, the Royals announced the signing of Colombian international Ana María Guzmán on loan from Bayern Munich for one season.[15]
Meanwhile, former goalkeeper Carly Nelson spoke out against the Royals on social media, alleging that she was subjected to emotional and psychological abuse in her tenure with the club.[16][17] The Royals caught wind of Nelson's statement and posted a response to her claims one day later.[18][19]
On January 13, the Royals announced two incoming players and three outgoings. The club announced the release both Agnes Nyberg and Michele Vasconcelos after buying out their contracts, as well as the official departure of Hannah Betfort.[20] Later, the Royals revealed the signings of forward Aisha Solórzano and Tatumn Milazzo to bolster their roster.[21][22]
Team
[edit]Current squad
[edit]- As of January 13, 2025[23]
| No. | Nat. | Name | Date of birth (age) | Since | Previous team | Notes[a] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | ||||||
| 1 | 
|
Mandy McGlynn | November 3, 1998 (aged 26) | 2024 | NJ/NY Gotham FC
|
|
| 32 | 
|
Cristina Roque | November 6, 2001 (aged 23) | 2024 | Florida State Seminoles
|
|
| — |
|
Mia Justus | September 3, 2002 (aged 22) | 2025 | Texas Longhorns
|
|
| Defenders | ||||||
| 3 |
|
Olivia Griffitts | August 2, 2001 (aged 23) | 2024 | BYU Cougars
|
|
| 5 |
|
Lauren Flynn | May 22, 2002 (aged 22) | 2024 | Florida State Seminoles
|
|
| 8 |
|
Kate Del Fava | July 23, 1998 (aged 26) | 2024 | Kansas City Current
|
|
| 16 |
|
Madison Pogarch | November 5, 1997 (aged 27) | 2024 | San Diego Wave FC
|
|
| 18 |
|
Kaleigh Riehl | October 21, 1996 (aged 28) | 2024 | San Diego Wave FC
|
|
| 28 |
|
Imani Dorsey | March 21, 1996 (aged 28) | 2024 | NJ/NY Gotham FC
|
|
| — | 
|
Ana María Guzmán | June 11, 2005 (aged 19) | 2025 |  Bayern Munich
|
INT, LOA |
| — |
|
Tatumn Milazzo | April 17, 1998 (aged 26) | 2025 | Chicago Stars FC
|
|
| Midfielders | ||||||
| 14 | 
|
Macey Fraser | July 11, 2002 (aged 22) | 2024 | Wellington Phoenix
|
INT |
| 17 | 
|
Ana Tejada | June 2, 2002 (aged 22) | 2024 | Real Sociedad
|
INT |
| 21 |
|
Mikayla Cluff | February 25, 1999 (aged 26) | 2024 | Orlando Pride
|
|
| 22 | 
|
Dana Foederer | July 27, 2002 (aged 22) | 2024 | Fortuna Sittard
|
INT |
| 26 |
|
Claudia Zornoza | October 20, 1990 (aged 34) | 2024 | Real Madrid
|
INT |
| — |
|
Emily Gray | October 4, 2000 (aged 24) | 2024 | North Carolina Courage
|
|
| — |
|
Alex Loera | June 19, 1999 (aged 25) | 2025 | Bay FC
|
|
| Forwards | ||||||
| 4 |
|
Paige Monaghan (captain) | November 13, 1996 (aged 28) | 2024 | Racing Louisville FC
|
|
| 9 |
|
Ally Sentnor | February 18, 2004 (aged 21) | 2024 | North Carolina Tar Heels
|
|
| 15 |
|
Brecken Mozingo | August 3, 2001 (aged 23) | 2024 | BYU Cougars
|
|
| 24 | 
|
Cloé Lacasse | July 7, 1993 (aged 31) | 2024 |  Arsenal
|
|
| 29 | 
|
Mina Tanaka | April 28, 1994 (aged 30) | 2024 | INAC Kobe Leonessa
|
INT |
| — |
|
KK Ream | 2025 | Utah Avalanche
|
U18 | |
| — | 
|
Aisha Solórzano | April 13, 1998 (aged 26) | 2025 |  Club Tijuana
|
|
- ^
denotes a season-ending injury.
Technical staff
[edit]- As of January 12, 2025[24]
| Role | Name |
|---|---|
| Sporting Director | Kelly Cousins |
| Head Coach | Jimmy Coenraets |
| Performance Coach/Analyst | Sam Lismont |
| Goalkeeper Coach | James White |
| Team Administrator | Vanessa Ramos |
| Head Athletic Trainer | Meghan Chambers |
| Assistant Athletic Trainer | Carlaine Myers |
| Head of Performance | Jess Mendez |
| Applied Sports Scientist | Maxine Furtado |
| Video Analyst | James Chandler |
| Equipment Manager | Maddie Holmberg |
Competitions
[edit]Win Draw Loss
Regular season
[edit]Regular-season standings
[edit]Results summary
[edit]| Overall | Home | Away | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Source: NWSLsoccer.com
Results by matchday
[edit]- ^ UTA's position at the end of the day on which their match was played.
Squad statistics
[edit]Appearances
[edit]Goals
[edit]Assists
[edit]Clean sheets
[edit]Disciplinary record
[edit]Transactions
[edit]Contract operations
[edit]| Date | Player | Pos. | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 19, 2024 | Lauren Flynn
|
DF
|
Options exercised for 2025. | [25] |
| Cristina Roque
|
GK
|
| Date | Player | Pos. | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 7, 2025 | Paige Monaghan
|
FW
|
Re-signed to a three-year contract through 2027. | [13] |
| January 9, 2025 | Mandy McGlynn
|
GK
|
Re-signed to a five-year contract through 2029. | [14] |
Loans in
[edit]| Date | Player | Pos. | Previous club | Fee/notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 10, 2025 | Ana María Guzmán
|
DF
|
Bayern Munich
|
Loaned through the 2025 NWSL season. | [15] |
Transfers in
[edit]| Date | Player | Pos. | Previous club | Fee/notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 11, 2024 | KK Ream
|
FW
|
Utah Avalanche
|
Signed with NWSL Under-18 Entry Mechanism to a three-year contract. | [10] |
| December 18, 2024 | Alex Loera
|
MF
|
Bay FC
|
Traded in exchange for $25,000 in intra-league transfer fees and a 15% sell-on fee. | [11] |
| December 30, 2024 | Mia Justus
|
GK
|
Texas Longhorns
|
Free agent rookie signed to a three-year contract. | [12] |
| January 13, 2025 | Aisha Solórzano
|
FW
|
Club Tijuana
|
Acquired in exchange for an undisclosed fee and signed to a three-year contract. | [21] |
| Tatumn Milazzo
|
DF
|
Chicago Stars FC
|
Free agent signed to a two-year contract. | [22] |
Transfers out
[edit]| Date | Player | Pos. | Destination club | Fee/notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 10, 2024 | Hannah Betfort
|
FW
|
North Carolina Courage
|
Out of contract. | [9][26] |
| Zoe Burns
|
DF
|
[9] | |||
| Julia Grosso
|
DF
|
[9] | |||
| Shaelan Murison
|
FW
|
[9] | |||
| Darielle O'Brien
|
DF
|
[9] | |||
| Carly Nelson
|
GK
|
[9] | |||
| Cameron Tucker
|
FW
|
[9] | |||
| January 13, 2025 |  Agnes Nyberg
|
MF
|
Released. | [20] | |
| Michele Vasconcelos
|
FW
|
Awards
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Utah Royals to return next season as NWSL's 13th team". AP News. March 12, 2023. Retrieved January 12, 2025.
- ^ rsl. "Utah Royals FC 2024 Season In Review | Utah Royals". rsl. Retrieved January 12, 2025.
- ^ Gutierrez, Jackie (November 4, 2024). "Building blocks for the future: Utah Royals reflect on Year 1 of being back in the NWSL – Equalizer Soccer". equalizersoccer.com. Retrieved January 12, 2025.
- ^ "Last-place Utah fire head coach Rodriguez". ESPN.com. June 30, 2024. Retrieved January 12, 2025.
- ^ Gutierrez, Jackie. "Utah Royals FC Address Decision To Fire Amy Rodriguez". Forbes. Retrieved January 12, 2025.
- ^ Turner, Caleb; Oct. 24, KSL com | Posted-; A.m, 2024 at 11:12. "Utah Royals make interim head coach Jimmy Coenraets permanent". www.ksl.com. Retrieved January 12, 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Utah Royals hire Jimmy Coenraets as new head coach". Deseret News. October 24, 2024. Retrieved January 12, 2025.
- ^ Turner, Caleb; Nov. 1, KSL com | Posted-; P.m, 2024 at 11:25. "Utah Royals end season with 4-1 loss to reigning champ Gotham". www.ksl.com. Retrieved January 12, 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ a b c d e f g h rsl. "Utah Royals FC Announces 2025 Roster Decisions | Utah Royals". rsl. Retrieved January 11, 2025.
- ^ a b rsl. "Utah Royals FC Signs 15-Year-Old KK Ream To Professional Contract | Utah Royals". rsl. Retrieved January 11, 2025.
- ^ a b rsl. "Utah Royals FC Trades For Midfielder Alex Loera | Utah Royals". rsl. Retrieved January 11, 2025.
- ^ a b rsl. "Utah Royals FC Adds Rookie Goalkeeper Mia Justus | Utah Royals". rsl. Retrieved January 11, 2025.
- ^ a b rsl. "Utah Royals FC Signs Paige Monaghan to Contract Extension | Utah Royals". rsl. Retrieved January 11, 2025.
- ^ a b rsl. "Utah Royals FC Signs Goalkeeper Mandy McGlynn To Contract Extension | Utah Royals". rsl. Retrieved January 11, 2025.
- ^ a b rsl. "Utah Royals FC Signs FC Bayern Munich Defender Ana María Guzmán On Loan | Utah Royals". rsl. Retrieved January 11, 2025.
- ^ Kassouf, Jeff (January 10, 2025). "Ex-Utah Royals GK Carly Nelson alleges 'emotional and psychological abuse' at club – Equalizer Soccer". equalizersoccer.com. Retrieved January 12, 2025.
- ^ Linehan, Meg. "Former Utah goalkeeper Carly Nelson alleges club allowed 'emotional and psychological abuse'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 12, 2025.
- ^ "Utah Royals 'saddened' over allegations of abuse made by former player". FOX 13 News Utah (KSTU). January 11, 2025. Retrieved January 12, 2025.
- ^ KUTV, Kaigan Bigler (January 10, 2025). "Former player for Utah Royals accuses coaches of abuse, Royals respond". KUTV. Retrieved January 12, 2025.
- ^ a b rsl. "Utah Royals FC Announces Three Player Departures | Utah Royals". rsl. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
- ^ a b rsl. "Utah Royals FC Signs Aisha Solórzano From Club Tijuana | Utah Royals". rsl. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
- ^ a b rsl. "Utah Royals FC Adds Tatumn Milazzo Bolstering Defense | Utah Royals". rsl. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
- ^ "ACTIVE ROSTER". Retrieved January 11, 2025.
- ^ "TECHNICAL STAFF". Retrieved January 12, 2025.
- ^ rsl. "Lauren Flynn and Cristina Roque Have Options Picked Up By Utah Royals FC | Utah Royals". rsl. Retrieved January 11, 2025.
- ^ "NC Courage sign free agent forward Hannah Betfort". NC Courage. Retrieved January 18, 2025.
| Current teams | |
|---|---|
| Future team |
|
| Former teams |
|
| Seasons | |
| Competition | |
| Personnel | |
| Awards | |
| Related articles | |
