Utah Royals FC unveil complete roster, coaching staff for 2024 NWSL season
The new Royals will kick off the 2024 season in three days, and Wednesday brought the finalized roster to the public view.
Utah Royals FC are on the verge of relaunching.
OK, so the Royals have been “relaunching” since they were announced as an expansion team last May.
But the new Royals will kick off the 2024 season in three days, and Wednesday brought the finalized roster to the public view.
The club capped the 22-player roster by signing recent draft selections and former Florida State teammates Cristina Roque (GK) and Lauren Flynn (DF), joining previous draft picks Ally Sentnor, Brecken Mozingo and Zoe Burns.
"Cristina was a stellar shot stopper during her time at FSU" URFC sporting director Kelly Cousins said of the two-time NCAA champion Roque who helped anchor the Seminole defense to four consecutive ACC championships. "During preseason she has proved that she is ready to take the next step in her career and we are excited to be part of her development this year. She has the drive and talent and we hope this is the first step in a successful career."
For those keeping track at home, that leaves three goalkeepers, seven defenders, five midfielders and seven forwards on Amy Rodriguez’s roster in the Royals’ return as one of two expansion sides to the 14-team NWSL.
Here’s the complete breakdown:
Goalkeepers (3): Mandy Haught, Carly Nelson, Cristina Roque
Defenders (7): Madison Pogarch, Imani Dorsey, Lauren Flynn, Zoe Burns, Kaleigh Riehl, Addisyn Merrick, Kate Del Fava
Midfielders (5): Mikayla Cluff, Dana Foederer (INTL), Emily Gray, Agnes Nyberg (INTL), Frankie Tagliaferri
Forwards (7): Brecken Mozingo, Michele Vasconcelos, Cameron Tucker, Ify Onumonu, Paige Monaghan, Hannah Betfort, Ally Sentnor
The roster includes five natives of the state of Utah, including four graduates of Brigham Young University (Cluff, Mozingo, Vasconcelos, Tucker) and one from the University of Utah (Nelson).
Another former BYU player, outside back Olivia Griffitts, was drafted by the Royals but has been working through an injury suffered in preseason training camp, according to a team source.
The Royals also finalized the hiring of Rodriguez’s technical staff, including two field assistants and a goalkeeper coach.
Vanessa Mann comes to Utah after a lengthy career in college soccer. The native of New South Wales, Australia, played collegiately at Nevada, where she earned All-WAC academic honors in 2008 a coaching career that took her to Oklahoma, William and Mary and as head coach at Maryland-Baltimore County since 2018.
“Amy’s playing experience, having first hand account of her evolution as a coach and her emotional intelligence are three key factors that drove me to say yes to this opportunity,” Mann said in a club statement.
“I am grateful to positively impact the lives of the players within our organization as we strive to win an NWSL Championship.”
Frederic Brilliant comes to Utah after a lengthy MLS and USL career, where the native of Sedan, France, who played two seasons with New York City FC and four years at D.C. United coached Loudoun United of the USL Championship before being elevated to the then-D.C. United affiliate’s first-team staff from 2022-23 until the departure of Wayne Rooney.
A native of Quebec, Canada, Maryse Bard-Martell joins the Royals as goalkeeper coach after spending time at UConn, Oklahoma and Missouri State. The former record-breaking goalkeeper at Memphis left the Tigers as the team’s all-time leader in goalkeeper minutes (7,259) and freshman records for saves, shutouts and minutes played.
The former Canadian youth international also coached goalkeepers and set pieces for the Canadian’s U-20 national team in 2022.
Utah opens the 2024 season Saturday at America First Field against the Chicago Red Stars (5:30 p.m. MT, ION TV).