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MLS Real Salt Lake

Real Salt Lake Weekly Update

January 24, 2018 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Real Salt Lake News Release


SANDY, Utah - Members of the Real Salt Lake, Utah Royals FC and Real Monarchs SLC staffs returned from Philadelphia and Orlando this weekend ahead of Real Salt Lake's commencement of preseason on Monday. The Academy teams both earned victories at the weekend to begin the second half of its season. Here is everything you need to know from the club this week:

Real Salt Lake selected FW Ricky Lopez-Espin with the 33rd overall pick in the 2018 MLS SuperDraft after trading the club's first round pick (10th overall) to the Chicago Fire in exchange for $85,000 in General Allocation Money.

Lopez-Espin, 22, played four years at Creighton University, scoring 30 goals to go with seven assists in 74 appearances, 61 of them in a starting role. That includes a standout season of 12 goals in 18 matches during his senior season. Prior to college, he was USSDA's leading scorer in his final season at Shattuck St. Mary's when he scored 21 goals in the 2013-14 season.

RSL passed on its last two picks in rounds three and four of the SuperDraft on Sunday, concluding its 2018 SuperDraft.

Real Salt Lake players along with currently rostered Real Monarchs players will all report to the campus of the new $78 million Zions Bank Real Academy for the first day of preseason Monday afternoon.

Last Tuesday RSL Owner Dell Loy Hansen announced the re-signing of Captain and MF Kyle Beckerman with the club that he has called home since 2007, keeping Major League Soccer's all-time "Iron Man" with the Claret-and-Cobalt for a 12th season. The nine-time MLS All-Star and four-time club Most Valuable Player is the league's career leader in MLS regular-season games played (432), games started (403) and minutes played (36,020) among field players.

Beckerman has been a pivotal figure in Real Salt Lake's rise to perennial MLS Cup Playoff contender following his arrival in 2007. Since then, RSL has reached the postseason in eight of the last 10 seasons, including lifting MLS Cup in 2009 with Beckerman as the Captain. In his 11 seasons with the club, he has 284 appearances, 279 starts, 29 goals and 33 assists in MLS regular-season action. Across all competitions, including CONCACAF Champions League and Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and postseason games, the Crofton, Maryland native has 338 appearances, 329 starts, 33 goals and 37 assists for the club.

Utah Royals FC: Utah Royals FC took part in its first-ever NWSL College Draft last Thursday picking two players in its inaugural draft ahead of the club's first season. In its historic first pick, Utah Royals FC selected Sandy native, Alta High School alum and BYU product DF Taylor Isom with the 14th overall pick.

A three-time state champion at Alta High School in 2008, 2009 and 2011 under Head Coach Lee Mitchell, Isom has been part of a successful program at BYU that has been nationally ranked in each of her four years playing with the Cougars. She played 82 matches in four years, totaling two goals and one assist in 7,311 minutes. She was a Second Team All-American selection in 2016, when she was named West Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year.

With its second pick of the draft, Utah Royals FC selected Duke GK EJ Proctor in the fourth round. Proctor comes to Royals FC after four seasons at Duke University, where she posted a 50-15-9 record with 35 shutouts and a 0.65 goals against average in 84 appearances, 71 of them in a starting role. That was capped by a stellar senior season that saw her go 21-2-1 with 14 shutouts and a 0.35 goals against average in leading the Blue Devils to the College Cup Semifinals.

Real Monarchs SLC: Real Monarchs SLC unveiled its full 2018 regular-season schedule, a season that features an expanded 34-game slate across 31 weeks for the club's fourth USL campaign, also its first ever in the new Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman, Utah. Kickoff times and broadcast carriage for the Monarchs will be announced in the near future.

Beginning with the inaugural Zions Bank Stadium match on Sat., March 31 against Portland Timbers 2, the Monarchs will now look to establish the new 5,000+ seat venue on the $78 million Zions Bank Real Academy campus as its new fortress for 2018, after establishing a USL-best home record of 12-1-3 (39 points) last year, losing just one match in its final season at Rio Tinto Stadium.

The 17-match Monarchs home slate features ZERO Sunday home matches and minimal conflicts with the Real Salt Lake pyramid's MLS and NWSL teams, who play in nearby Sandy. The Monarchs will celebrate three "Monday Night Futbol" games in 2018, including the inaugural "I-15 / Saints & Sinners" rivalry match against Las Vegas Lights on Mon., April 30. Other Monday night games are: June 4 against Rio Grande Valley, and on Mon., Sept. 3, Labor Day Weekend against San Antonio FC, the USL's record-setting defensive side from 2017, and the Monarchs' stiffest challenger for the West title a year ago. Herriman will also be the home for two Tuesday night contests, four Wednesday night matches, and eight Saturday games.

The 14 players currently on the Real Monarchs roster will join Real Salt Lake during the first leg of preseason that spans nine days in Herriman.

Real Salt Lake Academy: The Real Salt Lake Academy played its first matches of the new year, hosting Santa Cruz Breakers Academy at the Zions Bank Training Center in Herriman. The U-17s opened proceedings with a dominant 5-1 win that saw Alex Villanueva, Bryce Duke, Bode Davis and Noah Beck all scoring goals.

For the U-19s it took a hat trick from MF Richard Ledezma to secure the 3-1 victory over the Breakers and its 10th win of the year. Ledezma opened the scoring late in the first half when he curled a sublime free kick into the top corner of the Breaker's net before netting two more goals in the second half.

The Academy sides will look ahead to a matchup with Southwest Division leaders Pateadores on January 27 in Southern California. The U-17 side trails Pateadores by seven points while the U-19s trail Pateadores by six points with chances to close the gap in the standings. The U-17s will kick off at 12:00 p.m. MT with the U-19s following at 2:00 p.m. MT.

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