Wasatch Soccer Sentinel
Utah Royals FC lost at the North Carolina Courage last night, 1-0. That makes eight games without a win, fourth loss in a row, and puts the Royals at 1-8-1 for the season, at the bottom of the NWSL standings. Against the Courage, Utah had 0 shots on target, and maintained just 37% of the possession. The positives on this one is that Utah goalkeeper Mandy Haught had a great game with 5 saves, and the defense somehow kept North Caroline to one goal. It is looking dire, though, as we look at the opponents coming up for Utah: Kansas City Current (so far unbeater), Washington Spirit (twice in one month), Portland Thorns (who keep winning again), all three which are in the top four in the standings. Should Utah continue in its current form, these games may add to the loss column, keeping the Royals farther and farther away from climbing out of the bottom.
Is there still time to turn the season around?
Possibly!
And maybe...
Continue to invest in the roster, really.
Before the season, Utah Royals FC made a big statement about going with a roster mainly made up of younger players, with the hope to develop them to be NWSL veterans in the coming years. They signed overall first draft pick, Ally Sentnor, through the 2026 season, and signed all of their other 2024 draft picks: Olivia Griffitts, Brecken Mozingo, Zoe Burns, Cristina Roque, and Lauren Flynn. And one day, years down the road, when we're all old and grey, this concept will be the most genius thing ever. But from game one vs. the Chicago Red Stars, and the 2-0 loss, it was evident that this, maybe, might not have been the best plan. Sure, Utah dominated in possession and passing accurary (82.4%, the highest that weekend), but they were shut out, and the result is what mattered in the end. And yes, of course, the Royals managed to get a big 2-1 win against the Courage in week 2, and it was major, but ever since then, it's been tough to watch this team.
