HERRIMAN, Utah (Fri., January 9, 2026) – Real Salt Lake Assistant Sporting Director Tony Beltranannounced today that three RSL Academy players – MF Griffin Dillon, FW Diego Rocio and MF Antonio Riquelme – have signed Major League Soccer contracts. The addition of this 2026 trio – each of whom completed the MLS NEXT Pro portion of their contracts last season with Real Monarchs – brings to 48 the total number of Academy homegrowns that RSL has signed over the years, leading all 30 MLS sides in the youth development total.
“Each of these three fantastic young men have more than earned this heightened professional opportunity,” said Beltran, who joined the RSL front office after a 12-year playing career with the Utah side. “Griffin, Diego and Antonio are fantastic representatives to continue wearing the RSL / Monarchs badges, with their collective poise, passion, and integrity – just to name a few of the characteristics that enable our Academy products to succeed at the professional levels. These gentlemen have exhibited great character during their time within the organization, and we are beyond excited to see their evolutions and growth as players, both on and off the pitch.”
Former Real Monarchs captain Griffin Dillon – the MLS NEXT Pro side’s reigning back-to-back Most Valuable Player – now inks his first Major League Soccer deal after spending the last three seasons in MLS NEXT Pro. Dillon, 22, a former La Roca youth club standout, committed to the University of Maryland out of Corner Canyon High School, spending two years with the Terps. Dillon logged 35 NCAA appearances for the perennial power, scoring three goals and notching five assists before signing with Real Monarchs in early 2023, followinghis sophomore collegiate campaign.
Professionally, Dillon has logged 72 professional appearances with Real Monarchs, most recently leading the Claret-and-Cobalt second team to its first-ever MLS NEXT Pro playoff appearance last season, participating in 25 matches, scoring five goals and notching four assists in the 2025 campaign.
Chilean youth international Antonio Riquelme, 17, enters his second professional season with the Claret-and-Cobalt after his rookie 2025 season with Real Monarchs. The Chilean-American midfielder appeared for the Monarchs six times throughout the 2025 MLS NEXT Pro campaign, and once during the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Coming on as a halftime sub against El Farolito, Riquelme scored his first professional goal just 13 minutes later, providing the equalizer in an extra-time elimination.
Throughout the RSL Academy U18 2025 MLS NEXT Cup campaign, Riquelme showed off his poise, scoring two direct free kicks to equalize both matches late with second-half strikes. Internationally, Riquelme most recently appeared for Chile in the 2025 U17 World Cup held in Qatar, appearing in all three group stage matches as La Roja failed to qualify for the knockout stages.
Acquired from Philadelphia Union in May, 2025, striker Diego Rocio inked his first professional contract upon arrival to the Wasatch Front, a 2025 MLS NEXT Pro agreement, with the Major League Soccer portion of his contract kicking off in 2026.
Rocio split time with both Real Monarchs and the RSL Academy thus far in his Beehive State experience, appearing in two matches with Real Monarchs throughout the 2025 campaign. The clinical goalscorer eliminated his former club in the 2025 MLS NEXT Cup Quarterfinal stage, delivering the dagger from the spot in a 3-0 victory over Philadelphia Union’s U18 squad.
Spending time with both the United States Youth National team and Mexico’s Youth National Team setup, the dual-national has most recently been called up to the El Tri U18 squad, notching two appearances in September, 2025.
In late November, RSL’s 2026 schedule was revealed, with the Club’s America First Field venue in Sandy slated to welcome global soccer icon Lionel Messi and Inter Miami CF to Utah for the first – and perhaps only – occasion on Wednesday, April 22, 2026. Join the 2026 RSL ticketing waitlist at www.RSL.com/tickets.
The Claret-and-Cobalt also released its complete 2026 preseason slate, various key dates during the celebratory 2026 FIFA World Cup year, and most importantly, the entire 34-game MLS regular season schedule (17 home games, 17 away in MLS), which features multiple international soccer legends who are expected to visit Sandy throughout 2026.
Top visiting athletes in addition to Messi and Co. expected to provide highly-anticipated moments include: Korean superstar Son Heung-min (Los Angeles Football Club, Sept. 5), German trophy king Thomas Müller(Vancouver Whitecaps FC, Sept. 19), beloved Mexican cult figure Chucky Lozano (San Diego FC, April 18) and another storied German star, Marco Reus (LA Galaxy, Nov. 7).
RSL’s complete 2026 regular season schedule is available at www.RSL.com.
Players, coaches and staff report this week ahead of the Club’s Jan. 12 preseason, which will feature 2026 preseason matches in Portugal and Southern California, as The Atlantic Cup tournament organizers and Coachella Valley schedule-makers solidified various slates.
Returning to Lagos, Portugal, where it had spent a portion of the 2024 preseason, Head Coach Pablo Mastroeni’s side will play three games over 13 days in the back half of January as part of the annual Atlantic Cup tourney, with the first two matches against legendary Danish sides Randers FC (Jan. 22) – once home to former RSL striker Yura Movsisyan – and Bröndby (Jan. 26), a side also connected to David Blitzer’s Global Football Holdings. RSL will conclude its Iberian peninsula experience against fellow MLS Western Conference foe FC Dallas (Jan. 30), before competing its 24-hour door-to-door travels, returning to Utah on Feb. 1
After spending the first week of February back in Utah, the Claret-and-Cobalt then wrap up its 22nd preseason slate with two games in Southern California, facing off against newly-transferred DF Kobi Henry’s former USL Championship side, Orange County SC (Feb. 7), as well as MLS Cup 2024 champions LA Galaxy (Feb. 13), the latter match being played outside of Palm Springs, Calif.
RSL then kicks off its 2026 Major League Soccer campaign on Sat., Feb. 21 at B.C. Place, home of the reigning Western Conference champion, Vancouver Whitecaps FC, one week prior to the Claret-and-Cobalt’s 2026 home opener at America First Field against long-time rival Seattle Sounders FC on Sat., Feb. 28. Both of RSL’s February games kick off at 5:30p MT, with season ticket and four-game packages available at www.RSL.com/tickets.
