HERRIMAN, Utah (Wednesday, October 21, 2026) – Utah Royals FC (14-4-10, 46 pts) remains at America First Field to host its last home match of the regular season against Seattle Reign FC (13-4-11, 42 pts) on Friday, October 23rd, with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m. The Royals are sitting at 6th in the overall league standings, and will rely on the home field advantage on Friday to notch a win against the Reign, clinching them a spot in the NWSL 2026 playoffs.
Last Saturday, the Royals fell to Kansas City Current in a 2-0 loss in front of a home crowd. The Current opened their account in the 21st minute with Haley Hopkins converting a corner kick and giving the away team an early 1-0 lead. While the Royals struck back with a 67th minute header from Cece Delzer, she was ultimately unable to find an equalizer. The visitors doubled their advantage in the 90+1st minute when Hopkins notched another with a right-footed strike that solidified a 2-0 win over the Royals.
Now, Utah remains at home for its last regular season match at America First Field, hosting the Reign in its second matchup against the club this season. The last time the Royals met the Reign, history was made for the Club with a dominating 3-0 road victory on April 26th. The victory marked the largest away win in club history and lifted the Royals into the third spot in league standings. The first goal of the match was notched by Royals captain Paige Cronin, who scored in under a minute of the initial whistle, giving her both her first goal of the 2026 season and the fastest goal in club history. Minutes later, midfielder Narumi netted her first goal for the Royals, doubling the Club’s advantage and marking the first time the Royals have scored twice within the first 10 minutes of the match. Lastly, Royals Golden Boot leader Cloè Lacasse notched a shot that solidified Utah’s 3-0 lead in the 45+1st minute. The clean sheet could be attributed to goalkeeper Mia Justus, who made a massive late-match save, preventing the rivals from finding the net.
Seattle enters the matchup against Utah with a 13-4-11 league record and 43 pts, sitting at 8th in the overall League standings, only three points away from the Royals. The Reign are coming off its 13th win of the season, having found a 3-1 victory over Chicago on Sunday. During the match, Seattle’s Maddie Mercado scored her first NWSL brace, the second goal coming as her fifth header of the season. The Royals are 3W-3D-9L in its all-time meetings against the Reign, with the rivals holding the edge in its all-time meetings. Sitting just above the cutoff line for playoffs, Seattle will be fighting hard to find a win on the road.
URFC has bounced back from each of its last six losses with a win in the next match, so with a loss at its backs, the Royals will be looking to find the vital three points from a win this weekend. Entering its last regular season match on home turf, Utah will strive to recreate the magic from its previous meeting against Seattle by finding early goals from a depth of goalscorers and continuing to remain solid on the back line in its 29th matchup of the 2026 campaign.
URFC Next Home Match: 10/23 @ America First Field
URFC takes on Seattle Reign at home! Secure your seats for an unforgettable match at America First Field.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
WATCH LIVE on NWSL+ with JP Dellacamera and Lianne Sanderson :: Utah Royals FC vs Seattle Reign FC | America First Field | 7:30 p.m. MT
OR
WATCH LIVE on KMYU with Sean O’Connell and Carla Haslam :: Utah Royals FC vs. Seattle Reign FC | America First Field | 7:00 p.m. MT | KMYU (2.2 over air / 12 satellite / 643 Comcast HD)
OR
LISTEN via KSL Sports Radio (102.7 FM / 1160 AM) starting at 7:00 p.m. MT
After its match against Seattle Reign FC, the Royals will head to Sports Illustrated Stadium to take on Gotham FC in its final regular season game, on November 1, with kickoff set for 3:00 p.m. MT.
