HERRIMAN, Utah (Wednesday, March 29, 2029) – Real Monarchs (0-1-0, 0 points, 13th in West) will travel to Washington to face Pacific Division foes Tacoma Defiance (0-0-1, 2 points, 7th in West) for their first of three meetings of the 2023 season. The Monarchs will look to pick up their first points of the season after dropping their home opener to Minnesota United FC 2 last Friday.
Sunday’s match, as well as all Real Monarchs matches this season, will be streamed live via www.MLSnextPro.com and through MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
Real Monarchs vs Tacoma Defiance
Starfire Sports Stadium; Tacoma, Washington
Sunday, April 2 at 8:00 p.m. MT
*Game Notes for Saturday’s RM vs TAC game Available Online *__
The Adobe PDF version of the 2023 MLS NEXT Pro Game Guide in advance of Sunday’s contest between Real Monarchs and Tacoma Defiance can be found here. Media members looking to receive the document as an attachment or have further questions are asked to please contact Zuhayr Maung in RSL Communications via email at zuhayr.maung@rsl.com.
2023 Records: Real Monarchs (0-1-0, 0 points); Tacoma Defiance (0-0-1, 2 points)
Head-to-Head: Prior to joining MLS NEXT Pro, Real Monarchs and Tacoma Defiance (formerly Seattle Sounders FC 2) both competed in the USL Championship, during which the Monarchs held a controlling 8-2-2 record against the Defiance. Last year during the first season of MLS NEXT Pro, the Monarchs finished 1-2-0 against their divisional opponents. The win came in the final of the three matchups, a 1-0 win on August 26 with Tate Schmitt’s lone goal proving the difference.
HOME COOKING - TALE OF TWO HALVES
In 12 games at home in 2022, the Monarchs finished a near-even 6-5-1. The five losses and draw (PK loss to MNUFC2) came in the first six home matches, before finishing the season with a six-match win streak at Zions Bank Stadium. The first half of the season at home saw the Monarchs concede 12 goals with just four goals scored. In the final six matches at home, the Monarchs flipped the script, scoring 15 goals and conceding just four. The squad opened the 2023 schedule at Zions Bank Stadium against MNUFC2 and will play four of their first seven matches in Herriman, hoping to continue the home field advantage from the end of last year.
OLAVE AT CRUX OF CLARET-AND-COBALT PYRAMID
Now in his sixth season at the helm, Real Monarchs head coach Jamison Olave coaches from a critical vantage point in the RSL development pipeline. Residing between the MLS First team and the Academy, Olave – a long-time centerback during Real Salt Lake’s heyday, winning the MLS Cup in 2009 and earning multiple MLS All-Star and Best XI nods – brings his extensive playing experience to the position.
On a daily basis, Olave must balance the needs from three groups: 1) minutes & injury rehab stints for first-team players; 2) on-field and off-field development for young professionals under contract to the Real Monarchs; and 3) provide opportunities to stretch limits, excel and learn through competition for young Academy players.
NEW BLOOD AND ROSTER TURNOVER
The Real Monarchs roster is mainly composed of current or former RSL Academy talent, combined with a group of recent college graduates, all of whom are in their mid-to-early twenties. The youngest rostered player is MF Luca Moisa at 14 years old, while veteran MF Tyrone Mondi at 26 years old is the elder statesmen on the roster. The opening day roster includes 19 teenagers, a number that could grow as the season goes on and more Academy players earn opportunities to play at the next level. There are also 15 players featured on the opening day roster who do not have any previous appearances for the Monarchs.
NEW FACES IN MLS NEXT PRO
Following the inaugural MLS NEXT PRO 2022 season, seven new MLS-affiliated teams join the NEXT Pro league rankings: Atlanta United 2, Austin FC II, Crown Legacy FC, LA Galaxy II, LAFC 2, Huntsville City, and New York Red Bulls II. The Monarchs will play home-and-away matches against Western Conference additions Austin FC II, LA Galaxy II and LAFC 2. This year, Real Monarchs will play a slate of 28 games, 14 home and 14 away, with a playoff taking place in October. Unlike most other leagues, MLS NEXT Pro matches will not end in any draws; should the completion of regular time find the two teams tied, the match will proceed immediately into kicks from the penalty mark, with the winning side receiving two standings points and the “losing” side receiving one point.
LINCHPIN OF RSL DEVELOPMENT
Since its creation in 2015, the Real Monarchs have played a pivotal role in the overall success of the Real Salt Lake organization, with nearly every RSL player having spent some time in the Monarchs system. Of the 30 current members of Real Salt Lake, 16 of them have played minutes with the Monarchs. Meanwhile, six RSL players were originally signed to Monarchs contracts and earned new contracts with the first team, including FW Maikel Chang and Homegrowns DF Andrew Brody, GK Gavin Beavers, MF Julio Benitez, DF Jaziel Orozco and DF Luis Rivera.
Chang represents a group of players that have been signed originally for Monarchs, but later signed to RSL contracts due to their impressive on-field performances. Former players like Douglas Martinez and Noah Powder took similar paths to Real Salt Lake. The Monarchs provide RSL with the opportunity to sign players with lower risk, allowing them to develop within the system before making the jump to the First team. Recent RSL signings GK Tomás Gomez and DF Jasper Löffelsend were originally brought in to be members of Real Monarchs, but a combination of their preseason play, and injuries to other First team players saw them earn contracts with Real Salt Lake.
RSL ACADEMY PIPELINE
Since its inception in 2015, Real Monarchs have served as an integral part of the Club’s overall development pipeline, providing crucial professional minutes to RSL Academy talent prior to their arrival in Major League Soccer. This season, the Monarchs will feature at least two Real Salt Lake Homegrown contracted players.
FLUIDITY BACK AND FORTH
One of the benefits of Real Monarchs to the overall organization centers around RSL Academy development. For players like GK Blake Kelly, MF Abokye Bikyeombe, DF Gershon Henry, MF Izzy Amparo and MF Luca Moisa who are consistently outplaying their age group within the RSL Academy, the Monarchs provides a team for them to play up and challenge their abilities with the hope of bettering themselves as players. Additionally, it allows the organization to send them back to play with the RSL Academy when they need further development time, or during major competitive tournaments like the GA Cup or MLS Next Cup.
The lack of permanence allows the organization to treat each individual player differently, creating a path most suited for them, knowing that they can move between teams at their own pace.
