What's gotten into Utah? Royals break free in 5-1 win over Tijuana in Summer Cup
Brecken Mozingo scored a brace and the Royals scored five unanswered goals en route to a 5-1 win over Mexico’s Club Tijuana on Wednesday night in Group A play.
What’s gotten into the Utah Royals?
Whatever it is, interim head coach Jimmy Coenraets will take it.
The two-win expansion side at the NWSL’s Olympic break secured its second win of the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup when Brecken Mozingo scored a brace and the Royals scored five unanswered goals en route to a 5-1 win over Mexico’s Club Tijuana on Wednesday night in Group A play.
Utah out-shot Tijuana 28-7, including a 10-2 margin in shots on goal while holding 59% of possession and passing at a 78% clip.
Coenraets admitted that for as welcome as back-to-back results, which also included a 3-1 win over Portland, the quality of competition of the Summer Cup should be noted. Liga MX Femenil is a young league, founded just seven years ago, and still largely in preseason across each of the 18 teams.
Most NWSL clubs, too, are disadvantaged with dozens of players representing internationally at the Paris Olympics; the Royals are no different, being without Amandine Henry (France), Macey Fraser (New Zealand), Mina Tanaka (Japan) and Ify Onumonu (Nigeria).
But there are moments and elements of a new wave that can’t be ignored from the Summer Cup edition of the Royals, either.
“I think what’s very important is you need a group of friends that is very hard on each other,” Coenraets said. “If you want them to perform, you need them to be polite to each other but you also need them to open up to each other and be hard on each other. I like that we are able to push each other more … If we get accountability from each other, we are going to grow.”
For as strong as Utah (2-1-0, 6 points Summer Cup) finished, they didn’t start as great.
Just a few days after scoring a hat trick in Tijuana’s 3-2 win over Seattle Reign FC, Aisha Solorzano finished another on the counter that gave Club Tijuana a 1-0 lead in the third minute.
The response, though? That’s where Utah will focus.
Paige Monaghan equalized with a banger in the 20th minute, scoring her first goal of the Summer Cup in style tie the match.
Hannah Betfort put the Royals ahead with a long-range shot in the 44th minute, and Ally Sentnor added another with a banger in the third minute of first-half stoppage time to lift Utah to a 3-1 halftime advantage.
But the Royals weren’t done.
Mozingo stretched the lead to 4-1 in the 64th minute, finishing an attempt with her left foot that was almost as fire as her pre-match ‘fit as Utah searched for a result that would send the team to the top of Group A with a +5 goal differential.
The rookie first-round NWSL draft pick out of BYU who grew up in Sandy finished off the first brace in Utah Royals 2.0 history with a stoppage-time blast to secure the 5-1 final.
“I think the cohesion is finally being implemented,” Mozingo said. “Everything has always been there; maybe some people haven’t seen it. But in practice it’s been there, and in games it’s been there. It just hasn’t connected well for us in terms of the results.
“But I think our coach right now has been a huge part of that, being able to put players in really good situations in practice, get the reps they need, and build confidence in themselves as well as the players around them.”
Utah will host Crystal Palace women in a summer friendly Friday at 7 p.m MT at America First Field in Sandy.