Ana Tejada didn't know much about Utah, but her impact on Royals FC could be immense

The 21-year-old center back could fill a big need for Utah Royals FC, the last-place team in the NWSL with a league-worst -13 goal differential.

Ana Tejada admits she didn’t know much about Utah when her agent called her about a transfer from Real Sociedad in Spain’s Liga F to her new home with Utah Royals FC.

But she knew the opportunity that awaited her in the NWSL.

The 21-year-old center back was on the ground last week in the middle of URFC’s road trip that culminated with a fourth consecutive loss as the 2023 expansion club’s struggled continued to a league-worst 1-8-1 record.

But reinforcements have arrived, principally in the former of Tejada and rising New Zealand star Macey Fraser, and Tejada could be available for selection as early as Saturday’s home match against the Kansas City Current (8 p.m. MDT, ION) after adapting to “the city, the altitude and the dryness of the weather.”

“To be fair, I knew nothing other than you have so many mountains and that it’s a bit cold,” Tejada said with a smile in her first media session (in clear and precise English, no less). “Nothing more.”

Fraser’s arrival was trumpeted by Royals fans, for obvious reasons as perhaps the largest transfer fee in A-League history that likely topped six figures.But Tejada’s arrival in Utah may be just as vital.

For all of its issues with the attack and just six goals scored, Utah is leaking goals, having conceded 19 times for a league-worst -13 goal differential. While the project continues for head coach Amy Rodriguez’s side, adding a Spanish national team defender from Logroño, Spain, with 86 appearances for Real Sociedad since 2019 will certainly help.

The quality of the 5-foot-7 defender is clear from a few moments in training, from Tejada’s touch with the ball and shot-clearing presence. She debuted with Spain’s senior women’s team last year during a 7-0 friendly win over Argentina, after helping the U-20 squad win the 2022 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

“I like to play with the ball,” Tejada said. “I like to make passes in the forward and work with the collective, and I try to be aggressive in defense.”

After Tejada’s first full session with the new arrivals, Rodriguez noted that Tejada’s presence could play as much of a role in the Royals’ attack as their leaky defense, infusing new energy to the group and providing versaility along the back line hit by injuries to Kaleigh Riehl, Imani Dorsey and Olivia Griffitts, among others.

”She’s great with her feet, and hopefully she’s able to establish position and start the play for us,” Rodriguez said. “They’re saying that center backs are starting to become the new 10, able to be playmakers, and I think Ana is going to slide in and hopefully do that work for us on the pitch.”

Key to the Royals’ recent run of form — or lack of it — is the team’s youth. But in Tejada, the second-youngest team in the NWSL adds a player with 110-plus appearances in her native Spain since turning pro with her hometown Logroño that jumped between the first and second divisions since 2017.

Initially under contract with Real Sociedad through 2025, Tejada — who signed a three-year deal with an option for a fourth in Utah — knows the opportunity that her next step is in her personal footballing career, too.

“it’s an interesting league that will push me forward in my career,” she said of the NWSL.