Good news is slowly trickling out as Utah Royals' winless skid reaches 7 straight
The Royals continued to get a little healthier with the return of defender Kaleigh Riehl in the second half Friday, to go with the second straight match for returning winger Paige Monaghan.
SANDY, Utah — It took until the 77th minute, and the host team was already down 3-0. But Utah Royals FC showed that the club that is tied for last in the NWSL is getting better.
At the very least, the Royals are getting healthier.
That’s when Kaleigh Riehl made her season debut, replacing Nuria Rábano in the 77th minute of a 3-0 loss to Gotham FC that sent the Royals (1-9-2, 5 points) to their seventh consecutive match without a win.
Beating Gotham (4-5-3, 15 points) was probably going to be a tough task for Utah, which played without Ana Tejada due to a second-yellow red card a week earlier in the club’s loss at Louisville.
It got more difficult when Esther González scored just nine minutes into the match, Gotham doubled it through Jaelin Howell in the first minute of first-half stoppage time, and González finished off the scoring from the penalty spot int he 58th minute.
Minor victories aside, health is important for a Utah side still stretched to nine players despite recently welcoming back both Riehl and winger Paige Monaghan. And minor victories aside, Riehl couldn’t help but smile at her return.
“It’s been a long four months,” Riehl said. “I just tried to soak in every second of it, being on the bench, in the stadium, all the feels. But it’s nice to be back.”
Of course, she was only smiling a little bit. Like her teammates, she’s frustrated by the Royals’ current run of form — and perhaps even moreso than the fans, including the 8,400 or so who filed into America First Field for the club’s Pride celebration.
“We’re trying to turn things around,” Riehl said. “No one is content and happy with where we are.
“From the beginning of the season, we said we wanted to be a playoff team — and we haven’t put ourself in a great position. Week to week, we need to hone in on a couple of little things and just really try to flip that switch.”
Utah hosts former Royals coach Laura Harvey and Seattle Reign FC on June 21 before the NWSL takes a month-long international break due to continental championships like the UEFA Women's Euro and Copa América Femenina.
But with returns like Riehl, Monaghan, Mikayla Colohan and even back to Imani Dorsey’s comeback from a devastating Achilles’ injury earlier this year, health has become paramount. And the club is getting healthier.
There’s even hope of Canadian international Cloé Lacasse being available for Utah in the second half of the season. The former Arsenal forward who ruptured her ACL last October has been back on the practice pitch recently, mostly working skill-based solo competition.
But it’s a start — and a sign that, as the meme suggests, “nature is healing” — even if slowly at times.
“Our medical staff has done a great job of taking care of us,” said Monaghan, who played in her second match after recovering from a foot injury. “Even for me, I had such a wild injury … and they made sure that I had specialist appointments and got the care I need.
“I also worked individually with someone who genuinely cares about me, my health and my success, being my best self as an athlete. I’m grateful for him and everyone else who has gone the extra mile for us, and that makes all the difference.
“To see those girls and grind with them for the past couple of weeks, it’s so hard,” she added. “But to be surrounded by them was such a blessing, and a reminder of how much I love this game and how much more I have to give.”