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SANDY — The field at Rio Tinto Stadium was filled with the complete allotment of Utah Royals FC prospects Thursday morning in Sandy.
For the first time all season, the Royals trained with a full roster of contracted players, as Australian midfielder Katrina Gorry joined the club after arriving at Salt Lake International Airport a day prior.
And the introduction to the Utah crowd could come sooner rather than later — even as early as Saturday night’s game against Portland Thorns FC (7 p.m. MDT, KSL TV app and KSL.com).
Gorry — who teammates call "Mini" for her diminutive stature — could make her first NWSL appearance since 2014, when she scored one goal in 10 appearances for the now-defunct FC Kansas City that won the 2014 NWSL Cup championship.
“It was good timing for us and for her,” Utah coach Laura Harvey said of Gorry, who was named the Asian Football Confederation footballer of the year in 2014. “She’s been playing in Australia and Japan, and established highly on the national team. I felt like it was the right time to pick up the phone and bring her back.”
Even after she left, returning stateside remained on Gorry’s mind. She spent time in Australia’s W-League with her hometown Brisbane Roar, then played Vegalta Sendai in Japan in 2017.
The 25-year-old Gorry’s star has risen fast, from coming off the bench as a substitute for Australia in 2012 to becoming a regular in the Matildas' midfield. She recently returned from the Asia championships, where she helped Australia to a second-place finish to regional rival Japan that propelled the Matildas to qualification for next year’s Women’s World Cup in France.
Now she’s ready to help the Utah Royals (0-1-3), who are still searching for their first win and beginning a four-game homestand against the recently slumping Thorns (2-1-1). The Royals have earned three draws on the road — including a 2-2 tie at league-leading North Carolina — but lost 1-0 to the Chicago Red Stars in their only home game of the season so far.
“It’s been pretty hectic, to say the least,” Gorry said. “But I’m so excited to finally be here. I’ve watched a lot of games while I’ve been with the national team, and it’s really great.”
Harvey’s sales pitch to bring the well-regarded Australian international back to the NWSL was easily received. Gorry would be able to take as much time to devote to the Matildas as was necessary, and the scorer of 14 international goals would also see playing time in the best women’s league in the world. She’d even get to keep her No. 19 jersey, which she’s worn most of her career with the Matildas.
Add to it the recently remodeled facilities at Rio Tinto Stadium, as well as the off-pitch investment of owner Dell Loy Hansen — and the sale was complete.
“It was pretty much a win-win for me,” Gorry said. “I get to play in this beautiful stadium, and with a couple of girls I had already played for.
“How could I not say ‘yes’ to that?”
Harvey was slow to commit to immediate playing time to a player who hasn’t been with the team, and barely flew in from London on Wednesday.
But she didn’t rule out the possibility, either, after watching Gorry practice. Harvey said there is “for sure, no doubt” a chance Royals fans will see the 5-foot-1 midfielder take the pitch Saturday against the Thorns.
“I think she learned a lot when she was here before, without getting a ton of playing minutes,” Harvey said of Gorry. “Now she is in a different stage of her career, and she can impact the league every single week.
“It was good timing for us and for her.”
It’s also good timing in the season. Saturday’s match is expected to draw around 10,000 fans — including a significant section of traveling “Riveters” from Portland — and comes against a squad that billed itself as a chief rival for former Seattle Reign coach Harvey.
And those rivalries don’t die easily.
“Portland would be my rival, even if I was back in England,” said Harvey, who is 6-7-3 all-time against the Thorns. “I don’t think it will ever leave me.
“I have a ton of respect for them as an organization … but it’s a game I look at on the schedule and can’t wait to play them. I want to beat them.”
