Utah Royals FC Show

In this week's episode of the Utah Royals FC Show, we cover:

• Recent game results
• The firing of Amy Rodriguez
• Royals staff shake-up

In this week's episode of the Utah Royals FC Show, we cover:

• The team's current form and issues
• Injuries and incoming players
• 0-0 draw with the Dash
• 2-1 loss to Angel City
• 2-0 loss to the Wave
• 3-1 loss to the Red Stars
• North Carolina Courage preview

In this week's episode of the Utah Royals FC Show, we cover:

• Three new player signings
• A big loss to Louisville
• Royals host the Dash

We recap the last two Utah Royals games, discuss team and league news, and look ahead to Utah's upcoming trip to Kentucky

 

In this episode we cover:

• US win SheBelieves Cup
• Maria Sanchez requests trade away from Houston
• Dorsey placed on SEI list
• URFC owner Ryan Smith set to buy NHL team
• Spirit vs Royals recaps
• Royals vs Pride recap
• Louisville preview

The Utah Royals defeated the North Carolina Courage 2-1 in a dramatic first win for this new iteration of the Royals.

 

In this episode we cover:

• Utah's first win of 2024
• Attendance and marketing for the team
• The Royals first away trip sees them face Washington Spirit on Sunday at 11am on NWSL+

The Utah Royals played their first game, and while it wasn’t a great game, it was great having the team back.

Cindy, Wirtjo, and Lucas discuss Saturday’s 2-0 loss to the Chicago Red Stars and all the events around it.

We end the episode with a quick interview with the great Kate Del Fava!

The Utah Royals are back and so are we!

Utah face Chicago Red Stars on Saturday, March 16 at 5:30pm at AFF Field in Sandy, Utah.

In this episode we cover:

• The return
• How we got here / URFC history lesson
• Scrimmage against BYU
• State of the Roster
• 2024 expectations
• Chicago preview

We're back! For at least one episode... As Utah Royals formally announce their new head coach, we interview Amy Rodriguez to hear about her last few years, what she hopes to bring as a coach, favorite URFC memories, and the infamous Royals vs. Thorns game from September of 2019. 

Then we do a bit of a reunion show with Cindy, Megan, Wirtjo, and Lucas to discuss the team returning, A-Rod as head coach, and what's next. 

Thanks for listening!

It’s the final episode of the Utah Royals FC Show. Megan, Wirtjo, Lucas, and Cindy reunite one last time to reflect, rant a little, and be thankful.

In this episode:

• Thoughts on the Royals leaving
• KC NWSL
• Favorite memories
• What the team meant
• What happens next
• Thanks to guests, URFC staff, players, and listeners
• Listener voice messages

Thanks for listening and being a part of this journey with us!

If you thought episode 108 was a somber one, just wait for episode 109 of the Utah Royals FC Show, the one where Lucas and Cindy talk about URFC officially moving to Kansas City.

In this episode:

• Lucas and Cindy respond to the move
• What happens now with the KC team?
• Why did this happen?
• What’s next for Utah?
• Tottenham Hotspur section
• And Harry Potter

Thanks for listening! Continue supporting the NWSL!

It’s Utah Royals FC Show with episode 108. Lucas and Cindy take a pause on Thanksgiving cooking and working to talk about The Athletic report on Utah Royals FC’s potential move back to Kansas City, of all cities, or fold, unfortunately.

Not the most exciting show in the history of podcasting, but an important topic to cover as the Royals’ future in Utah is in doubt.

Thanks for listening! #KeepUtahRoyal

After a few weeks, the Utah Royals FC Show returns with episode 107.

It’s Lucas and Cindy as usual, talking about the club terminating Craig Harrington’s contract (about time!), Vero Boquete signing with AC Milan, the 2020 NWSL Expansion Draft and Utah Royals FC’s protected list. Also in this episode, a look back at 2020, looking ahead to 2021, and listener questions.

Thanks for listening!

It’s episode 106 of the Utah Royals FC Show. Lucas and Cindy are joined by Utah Royals FC midfielder Vero Boquete.

In this episode, Vero talks about how she came to love soccer, players who inspired her, how she’s remained positive during a tough year, what she appreciates about the NWSL, her favorite memory as a member of the Spanish National Team, which teammate she would pick to have her back during a bar fight, and more!

Thanks for listening!

It’s episode 105 of the Utah Royals FC Show. There was a game at Rio Tinto Stadium for the first time since...forever…(since Oct. 12, 2019, actually)...with fans during a global pandemic (weirdly). Only 5,000 fans were allowed, but there was around 1,200-1,300 fans in attendance. Honestly, attendance numbers aren’t a big deal right now, so most of the talk is around the actual game vs. OL Reign, that ended in a 2-2 draw.

Also, the show officially endorses Amy LePeilbet as the next Utah Royals FC head coach (should Harrington no longer be the head coach due to inappropriate behavior. The Equalizer indicate Harrington is expected to be out at the organization, although Royals PR staff have indicated there is no official decision yet made.

The club also has a new interim assistant coach and looks to the upcoming home game against Portland Thorns FC on Saturday.

Thanks for listening!

The Utah Royals FC Show is back to discuss the news on Craig Harrington’s administrative leave of absence, the game against Portland, the latest NWSL news, and a couple of listener questions.

Note: It’s been a crazy few weeks in the RSL Organization with a sale pending and investigations-galore, but we stand behind the players and pledge to continue our coverage for the fans and the team.

Thanks for listening!

The Utah Royals FC Show returns to discuss the news that RSL and URFC owner Dell Loy Hansen will sell the club after allegations of racism. It’s been a crazy few days since Hansen took to one of his radio stations to express frustration with the Real Salt Lake players boycotting Wednesday’s game against LAFC in protest of racism and police brutality. After fan outrage, employees started to share these allegations of racist remarks, and Major League Soccer and the National Women’s Soccer League opened investigations into Hansen. He then announced plans to sell Utah Soccer Holdings, the umbrella company for Real Salt Lake, Utah Royals, and the Real Monarchs.

Thanks for listening!

The Utah Royals FC Show returns with episode 102. It’s been a while since the last episode, but thanks to recent news including major, potential player moves (*cough O’Hara, Press, Jonsdottir *cough), it was time to get behind the mic.

Also in this episode:

• More NWSL games on the horizon this fall
• Rose Lavelle and Sam Mewis go to Manchester City
• Sacramento looks to get an NWSL team
• URFC general manager calls out local beat reporter
• Who’s coming to Utah if O’Hara gets traded?
• Is it the end of women’s pro soccer cause COVID-19 in the U.S. is making it really difficult to have a season?
• When will we have players in the stands? With DLH, anything is possible!

Thanks for listening!

Please take care and be safe. The pandemic isn’t over just because we’re over it.

It’s Episode 101 of the Utah Royals FC Show! URFC is out of the Challenge Cup, and so Lucas and Cindy chat about that. Where does Utah go from here? Where does the NWSL go from here after the Challenge Cup? Speaking of the Challenge Cup, we chat about the mighty Courage were eliminated, the upcoming final, and other NWSL news, including the new LA expansion team coming in 2022.

Also in this episode:

• Lucas made a funny meme
• The stans got mad
• Toxic behavior from people who stan too hard? Yes.
• Press to LA can happen. If it does, we’ll cry and write about it. Watch out for stans.
• Sam Mewis to Manchester City. Rose Lavelle to follow?
• Answer some listener questions
• Consider a salsa-making episode for episode 102.

Thanks for listening!

Please take care, be safe, and be nice to your local NWSL media person, friends!

We’re 100 episodes old! WOW!

It’s Episode 100 of the Utah Royals FC Show! Cindy, Lucas, and Wirtjo spend a good portion of the show reminiscing about the past 99 episodes, including on past interviews, and thanking those who helped get the show get off the ground, and of course, our listeners.

Since it is a podcast on soccer, the conversation eventually shifts to the past two URFC games in the NWSL Challenge Cup, the current youth development, players who have impressed, preview the upcoming quarterfinal game vs. the Houston Dash, and answer listener questions.

Thanks for listening!

Please take care and be safe friends!

It’s a very special Challenge Cup edition of the Utah Royals FC Show. We’re joined today by Utah Royals goalkeeper Abby Smith.

Abby tells us about the rest of her time with the Western Sydney Wanders in the W-League, traveling back to the US/Texas/Utah, the tournament, life in the bubble, and her perspective on the black lives matter movement.

Thanks for listening!

It’s Episode 99 of the Utah Royals FC Show! Wirtjo and Lucas dive into Utah’s dramatic 3-3 tie with the Dash and look at the team’s 1-0 victory over Sky Blue. Craig Harrington gets his first win as the new head coach, employing an attack-minded 3-5-2 formation.

We preview Wednesday’s game against OL Reign, a team that has struggled more than expected. We also look ahead to Sunday’s game, the final of the preliminary round, against Chicago Red Stars. The Red Stars have also struggled, but will be the biggest test for Utah so far.

Thanks for listening!

It’s Episode 98 of the Utah Royals FC Show! Cindy, Lucas, and Wirtjo preview the game between URFC and the Houston Dash as Utah get ready to begin their Challenge Cup journey.

The trio also give their thoughts on the two first games of the NWSL Challenge Cup played this past weekend and on the controversy of the league choosing to play the national anthem as players chose to protest by kneeling or remain standing.

We tried to keep it short, around the half hour mark, but Wirtjo, of course, had a tangent or two, which tangents by Wirtjo are always good.

Thanks for listening!

Please take care and be safe friends!

It’s Episode 97 of the Utah Royals FC Show! Cindy and Lucas return and so does Wirtjo Leonard, who is now a college grad and working in a cool job that helps people. Congrats, Wirtjo!

There’s been a lot of news lately including positive COVID-19 cases in Orlando, NWSL Challenge Cup rules and regulations, Utah’s new home jerseys, Bouhaddi and Marozsan officially not coming to Utah, and more!

Thanks for listening!

Please take care, be safe friends, & don’t go to bars during a pandemic!

We realize that life right now is bigger than soccer. The Utah Royals FC Show will never stand for racism and stands in solidarity with those protesting for justice for George Floyd and for black lives.

Cindy and Lucas return for Episode 96 of the URFC Show to cover the full schedule for the preliminary rounds of the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup, which will be held in Utah June 27 to July 26, and the media call with head coach Craig Harrington today.

Thanks for listening!

Please take care, be safe friends, & speak out against racism!

Big news today out of the NWSL as the league announces the 2020 Challenge Cup to be held in Utah June 27 to July 26. So naturally, after media calls with the league and with Utah Royals FC, Lucas and Cindy return for episode 95 of the Utah Royals FC Show to talk about the tournament and listen to some wonderful vuvuzela music, the wonderful Vuvuzela Chromatic Orchestra, which you can find on Spotify.

Thanks for listening!

Please take care and be safe friends!

It’s Episode 94 of the @URFCShow!

Cindy & Lucas return for talk on a potential NWSL tournament in Salt Lake City, players’ return to training, & more!

On this week’s episode of the Utah Royals FC Show, Lucas speaks to center back Taylor Leach. Taylor joined the club this offseason and landed in Utah shortly before the COVID-19 shutdown.

Leach, who spent most of her playing career in Sweden, talks about her time overseas, joining the Royals, and how COVID-19 has affected her life as a professional athlete. Most importantly, we get a new answer to the “which player would you want to have your back durning a bar fight” question.

Promoting social distance, recording remotely (as usual), Lucas and Cindy return for another episode of the Utah Royals FC Show. There’s the potential start of the 2020 NWSL season, USSF shutdown of DA Academy, RSL organization furloughs and layoffs, French goalkeeper Sarah Bouhaddi & German midfielder Dzenifer Marozsan rumored transfers to Utah, and more!

Thanks for listening!

Please wash your hands, stay home, and take care, friends!

It’s the “no-more-soccer; stay-home-podcast,” otherwise known as the Utah Royals FC Show. Promoting social distance, recording remotely (as usual), Lucas and Cindy return for another episode of the URFC Show.

There’s the postponement of the NWSL season and 2020 Olympics to talk about, player updates (that we know of), the W-League Final, and favorite URFC moments.

Thanks for listening!

Please wash your hands, stay home, and take care, friends!

Lucas and Cindy return for another episode of the Utah Royals FC Show. There’s the SheBelieves Cup to talk about, international tournaments that some of the URFC national team member participated in, USWNT vs. USSF lawsuit, Aminata Diallo signing, the Becky Sauerbrunn trade becoming official (one last, “Becky, how dare you?”), the start of preseason, and, of course, answering listener questions.

Thanks for listening!

Please wash your hands, and take care, friends!

There had already been a plan to record Episode 89 of the Utah Royals FC Show because it’s been such a busy off-season. Then, the schedule was released, and then the reports of Becky Sauerbrunn going to Portland also became THE news. So, rest assured, there was plenty to talk about this week.

It’s Lucas and Cindy this week, covering the Becky Sauerbrunn news, the 2020 Royals schedule, URFC coaching hirings, the focus on youth development, allocation money, and listener questions.

Thanks for listening!

On this week’s edition of the Utah Royals FC Show, Lucas sits down with back-to-back interviews with Head Coach Craig Harrington and General Manager Stephanie Lee. Harrington shares about his background, his journey to Utah, and what he wants accomplish in his first season as an NWSL head coach. Lee shares her soccer story, her professional growth in the business of sports management, the coaching hire, and what’s ahead in 2020.

It’s Episode 87 of the Utah Royals FC Show.

We kick off this episode by reacting to the news that Utah Royals FC have hired Craig Harrington as their new head coach. Cindy and Lucas weigh in on what Craig brings to the team and look at his previous coaching experience.

Michelle Maemone join Megan and Lucas for the bulk of this week’s show and she shares her soccer story, what her first year as a pro was like, and what she’s looking forward to in 2020.

Lucas and Megan speak to Abby Smith in this week’s episode of the Utah Royals FC Show. Smith, who is on load to the Western Sydney Wanderers, tells us all about her time in the W-League, the 2019 NWSL season, and what she’s looking forward to in 2020. We also, and most importantly, discuss our dogs and hiking.  

If you’re interested in finding out more about Abby’s work in the community with the RSL Foundation and Goals for girls, please visit https://www.rsl.com/foundation and https://goalsforgirls.org/.

Cindy and Lucas record hours after the conclusion of the 2020 NWSL College Draft where URFC made three great picks to help their offense. The draft, the picks, and more are all discussed in this episode. We also answer listener questions.

After a busy week in the NWSL, including Utah Royals FC news involving a trade, signings, and Laura Harvey’s departure, Cindy and Lucas record episode 84 of the Utah Royals FC Show and officially endorse Scott Parkinson as the next head coach.

The Utah Royals FC Show returns with episode 83.

Cindy and Lucas talk about the news of Laura Harvey’s departure, which is some of the biggest news in club history. They also remember the biggest moments of 2019, and close the show talking about what the team needs to do in 2020 to consider the season a success. Lucas and Cindy each give the team two New Years resolutions to help get them there.

Cindy and Lucas give an update on Ryan's health, news from the soccer world, updates on player re-signings, and how the Royals are doing in the W-League.

You can donate to Ryan's Go Fund Me here:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/rehibilitation-for-ryan-kelly

Cindy and Lucas talk news from around the league, how the Royals players are doing in the W-League, USWNT life under Vlatko Andonovski, and listener questions in episode 81 of the Utah Royals FC Show.

The big 80! Massive props to new friend of the show and the latest member of royalty Arielle Ship for spending part of her afternoon with us as well as Milad Zolnoor and the good folks at Just Ball Marketing for setting this one up.

In this one we’re talking what its like to reunite with Laura Harvey, what the last few weeks have been like, living the So-Cal life, thoughts on new teammates, and looking forward to Utah.

What happens when we take two weeks off? Apparently a whole heck of a ton. 
The USWNT gets a new head coach, the NWSL has a new franchise, Alex Morgan is pregnant, Vero wants out, the league randomly selected a bunch of international players and even more randomly gave them awards, new compensation guidelines to treat players like actual human beings, including transfer fees, allocation money, multi-year contracts, and much much more! 

 

The season is over. We are sad. Thanks for listening to us for another year. Thanks for coming and saying hi to us at games and in the street. Whether you’ve been listening to us since episode 1 or since last week, you’re the best and we appreciate you.

Cindy and Wirtjo recap a handful of top 5’s that the Royals take home, talk about the final episode of the season and more in a very mellow episode 78.

Supporting Tottenham Hotspur. Depression. Ryan Kelly. Jill Ellis. Season Closer. Orlando Doesn’t Have Telephones. Wirtjo’s Giving Away Stickers. End of Year Awards. Golden Sock Award. Renaming Rio Tinto.

 

Want a link to the end of year awards that you should totally fill out? It’s right here. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1GfVo8s6h_7SMsPc-FpHNBf4mBIaiIjodx06bM4wwFPo/edit

It’s Cindy and Megan this week.

There’s loads to talk about in terms of the last Utah Royals FC loss to the Chicago Red Stars that officially eliminated them from the playoffs.

What happened? What went wrong in 2019? Where do we go from here? What does the off-season look like? Player to let go? Player to add? Player to keep? What if Laura Harvey leaves?

 

Thanks to all the wonderful folks who keep up with us on a weekly basis, keep your questions and comments coming. We do this because of you, so tell your friends, tell your neighbor, tell your mom, tell your dog - especially tell your dog. Don’t hesitate to rate and review, plus reach out to us through twitter @URFCShow, @wirtjogets2yell, @meganrsl15, @cinderL9, and @lucaswmuller. 

We’re on all of the other socials as well. For home games we use Instagram, so follow us there @URFCShow. You can also hit us up on Facebook or if email is your preferred method of communication, that also works: URFCshow@gmail.com.

We've got news around the world of football, a loss to the courage, and less than a handful of games to go for the regular season. 

In this Episode:

Positive steps for Ryan Kelly

News from around the league including HAO’s celebration game, finding the racist, and attendance numbers.

Plenty of reaction from the Houston game

A MUST WIN midweek matchup against the Reign

 

In this episode:

An update on co-founder of the podcast Ryan Kelly who is approaching a month in critical care due to bacterial meningitis.

Awards, and lots of em. One of them being that Christen Press is officially the first Utah Royals player to take home NWSL Player of the Month. Exciting stuff.

On the pitch the Royals pulled three points at home against the Portland Thorns with a beautiful Becky Sauerbrunn goal. Victory aside, we’re mad as hell. A win has never felt so tainted. Racism and homophobia are never acceptable and we as a community have a responsibility to not only condemn it, but to take every step possible to prevent it.

Nikita is a Seattle based visual storyteller. You can often find her wearing a black Rafa Nadal hat and a plaid shirt, laying on the ground pitchside at a Reign or Thorns game. She has taken photos of NWSL, MLS, USWNT and Matildas for various outlets, including various SB Nation blogs, NWSL, Football Federation Australia, the Women's Game, Eight By Eight magazine, and Make & Rally.

In this Episode:

Amy Rodriguez is up for one of the biggest awards in world football. Get on it. Go vote. Do the thing.

Utah Royals Reserves took the sweep winning Central Region Mountain Conference bests in Offensive Player, Defensive Player, Coach and Franchise.

Portland Thorns/Timbers owner Merritt Paulson spilled a ton of beans in terms of NWSL expansion.

On the pitch, we’ve got a win against Orlando, and a disappointing draw against Washington.

Sorry, it’s been a few games. Life happens, hope you didn’t miss our ramblings too much.

There’s a ton to talk about. Megan has moved to college. Wirtjo almost died in Alaska. We’ve had three games of soccer. Harvey might be moving onto the USWNT, Mike Petke got fired, (yeah, we’re going to talk about it, we have a moral obligation to at least touch it) and we have two massive games coming up against Orlando and Washington. We’re officially in the final stretch of the season and two points out of the playoff picture. Let’s chat about it.

Thanks to all the wonderful folks who keep up with us on a weekly basis, keep your questions and comments coming. We do this because of you, so tell your friends, tell your neighbor, tell your mom, tell your dog - especially tell your dog. Don’t hesitate to rate and review, plus reach out to us through twitter @URFCShow, @wirtjogets2yell, @meganrsl15, @cinderL9, and @lucaswmuller. We’re on all of the other socials as well. For home games we use instagram, so follow us there @URFCShow. You can also hit us up on Facebook or if email is your preferred method of communication, that also works: URFCshow@gmail.com.