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Real Monarchs

Real Monarchs SLC Kicks off 4th USL Season Saturday

March 23, 2018 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Real Monarchs News Release


HERRIMAN, Utah - Real Monarchs SLC is set to visit Tulsa Roughnecks FC on Saturday to begin the 2018 regular-season campaign - its 4th in the United Soccer League - and begin its regular-season title defense under Head Coach Mark Briggs. The match is set to kickoff at 6:00 p.m. MT from ONEOK Field in Tulsa. The reigning USL Coach of the Year, Briggs will lead his team in his first full season in charge of the club which opens the season with four of the first five matches on the road between March 24 - April 21.

For the third time in the previous four seasons the Monarchs will open the regular-season on the road where its boasts an undefeated record of 2-0-1 (7 points) in season opening matches. In last season's opener, the Monarchs toppled Portland Timbers 2 at Providence Park 2-1, courtesy of goals from DF James Moberg and MF Nick Besler, setting the tone for a record setting year in the USL.

The Monarchs kick off 2018 as the defending USL regular-season champions after playing to the best season in club history, posting a 20-5-7 (67 points) record in 2017. The club commences the season after a Week 1 bye during the opening weekend of USL action, facing the longest regular-season in league history - a 34 match slate - where it will play 17 matches home and away.

How to Follow Real Monarchs SLC v. Tulsa Roughnecks FC - Sat., March 24, 2018

Coverage Begins: 6:00 p.m. MT

Local TV: N/A

Digital Streaming: RealMonarchs.com/USLSoccer.com

English Radio: N/A

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The Monarchs kick off the season on Saturday on the back of the best year in club history that saw the Utah side control the summit of the league standings for nearly the entire season before its run for a USL Cup ended prematurely in the first round of playoffs.

The club returns a 9-player core amongst the 30-man roster for its 2018 campaign, entering the club's first full year under Briggs and staff. USL All-League First Team selection, USL MVP Finalist and Golden Boot runner-up from 2017, FW Chandler Hoffman returns after leading the Monarchs in scoring in 2017, after posting 17 total goals while registering 7 assists through the regular-season and playoffs for his best year as a professional. Joining Hoffman in returning to the Monarchs are MFs Sebastian Velasquez and veteran midfielder Charlie Adams . After his best performance as a professional that saw him score nine goals and register six assists, Velasquez placed second in scoring within the potent attacking force for the Monarchs.

Plenty of experience returns to the midfield and back line as DFs Michael Gallagher, Andrew Brody and James Moberg return to a staunch back line while MF Karsten Hanlin returns for his sophomore season in midfield. Up top, FW Juan Ignacio Mare also returns for his first full season with the club after signing last August. In goal GK Andrew Putna returns for his sophomore season in the USL after featuring in four matches for the Monarchs last season, posting two shutouts while registering two penalty kick saves in two-consecutive matches against Sacramento Republic FC and Reno 1868 FC.

New arrivals for 2018 include: Former Charleston Battery duo MFs Maikel Chang and 2017 USL All-League Second Team selectionJustin Portillo; DFs David Diosa, Rhys Williams as well as a former USL Cup winner in Konrad Plewa and 2015 MLS SuperDraft pick Kalen Ryden; In midfield MF Masta Kacher joins the Monarchs together with Washington Husky alumni Josh Heard and reserve GK Jake Leeker.

Briggs returns a Real Monarchs coaching staff which includes former Real Salt Lake and New York Red Bulls defender Jamison Olave,Goalkeeper Coach Matt Glaeser who returns for his second season with the USL side, arriving in December 2016, along with Briggs after serving as an assistant at Wilmington. Briggs also sees the transition of former Monarchs midfielder Danny Cruz to an assistant coaching role with the club. Prior to making the transition to coaching, Cruz appeared in nine matches for the Monarchs in 2017, playing 617 minutes while making six starts. As a professional Cruz logged 137 career Major League Soccer appearances, 99 of them in a starting role.

Real Monarchs 2018 United Soccer League regular-season schedule is as follows:

Real Monarchs will move away from the home of Real Salt Lake and Utah Royals FC at Rio Tinto Stadium and christen the new, 5,000 seat Zions Bank Stadium on the campus of the $78 million Zions Bank Real Academy in Herriman, Utah. The state-of-the-art venue will boast a full-service press box and broadcasting booth as well as concessions on either side of the stadium. Officially opening April 2018, the Monarchs will host 17 regular-season matches at Zions Bank Stadium in the first year at the league's newest venue starting with an April 30 match against Las Vegas Lights FC for the first ever "Saints-and-Sinners/I-15" Rivalry.

The Herriman facility provides adjacencies for an on-site charter school in conjunction with the Jordan School District, which opened last August, focusing on STEM disciplines (Science/Technology/Engineering/Math) for nearly 300 boys and girls, kicking off a new era for both sports and education in Utah.

Last December in North Logan, Utah, RSL Owner Dell Loy Hansen christened the opening of the first of a half-dozen regional training centers across Utah and Arizona to be built in the next 2-3 years. Each $5 million RTC houses a classroom, as well as an indoor and outdoor field, dedicated to fulfilling a curriculum consistent with the club's vision and mission for youth soccer training and education, and the continued development of both recreational and competitive pre-Academy (ages 7-14) initiatives across Utah and Arizona.

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