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USL Real Monarchs

Real Monarchs Clinch USL Regular Season Championship

October 9, 2017 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Real Monarchs News Release


REAL MONARCHS CLINCH USL REGULAR SEASON CHAMPIONSHIP 10-Man Monarchs Hold on for 1-1 Draw Against Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 at Rio Tinto Stadium; Monarchs Hold Best Record in the USL for the 2017 Season, Lifting the 2017 USL Regular Season Championship Shield in front of a Season-High Crowd

Sandy, Utah (Saturday October 7, 2017) - Real Monarchs (19-5-7, 64 points) clinched the best record in the USL regular season on Saturday in front of the third-biggest crowd in club history. With 8,402 in attendance at Rio Tinto Stadium, the Monarchs got an early goal from MF Sebastian Velasquez and held on for a 1-1 draw with Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2. That result alone would have sealed the regular season title, but the Monarchs clinched the championship when San Antonio FC tied the Tampa Bay Rowdies 1-1 in a game that finished near the 70th minute of the match in Sandy.

In the club's third season, the Monarchs hoisted the USL Regular Season Championship Shield after the match and will have home-field advantage throughout the USL playoffs, starting October 20.

In the first half, the Monarchs asserted themselves from the opening whistle. By the break, they held a 6-4 shots advantage and had been threatening to Vancouver goalkeeper Mark Village throughout the half. The breakthrough came in the 16th minute when Velasquez netted his eighth goal of the season, taking a pass from Sebastian Saucedo at the edge of the box, cutting to his left foot and beating three defenders and Village for a 1-0 lead. That score held until halftime as the Monarchs kept pressure on the visitors in search of a second goal.

Vancouver took advantage of an early miscue in the second half when a Marco Bustos cross was redirected by DF James Moberg into his own net in the 48thminute, evening the score at 1-1. The Monarchs then went down to 10 men in the 76th minute when DF Demar Phillips - on loan from Real Salt Lake - was sent off after a foul near the sideline. The Monarchs held on to earn the point, though, and celebrated the championship on the field with their supporters after the match.

UP NEXT: The Monarchs will remain at home to close out the regular season on Oct. 14 when they play host to LA Galaxy II - 'Los Dos' - with kickoff set for 7:00 p.m. from Rio Tinto Stadium. The Monarchs and Galaxy II have met once previously in 2017, a game where the Monarchs walked away from Southern California with a 3-0 victory courtesy of goals from MFs Charlie Adams, Sebastian Velasquez and Karsten Hanlin.

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