Utah Royals round out roster with 2 picks in NWSL Expansion Draft

SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Royals reached the bare minimum required of 11 players earlier this week in a flurry of trades but used Friday's NWSL Expansion Draft to add two more players on the offensive side of the ball.

Utah and Bay FC alternated picks as the two newest teams in the league, with the Royals selecting Elyse Bennett from Seattle-based OL Reign with the second pick and Paige Monaghan from Racing Louisville FC with the fourth pick. Utah elected to pass on its remaining picks after making deals with nine of the 12 teams before Friday.

"It was a lot of preparation, and we were ready for some curveballs," head coach Amy Rodriguez said. "I think we saw the draft playing out as it did tonight, and we were prepared for it. It was kind of the first competition for many of us, and tonight went well. I think we won."

Rodriguez said the team was very "intentional" with its picks, and sporting director Kelly Cousins added that the team didn't want to "make picks just to make pics." Cousins even went so far as to say she would prefer to see the expansion draft go away and teams just make deals among each other as the Royals did before the draft.

"This whole expansion draft thing is hard because you're uprooting somebody's life a week before Christmas," Cousins said. "I wouldn't want to be a player in it. You find out on the night of that you could be moving somewhere else, and you've got to do that within a month."

Perhaps for this very reason, the Royals have made a point of bringing several Utah natives back to their home state, with four of their first 12 players growing up in the Beehive State. Goalkeeper Carly Nelson is from Lindon, midfielders Mikayla Cluff and Michele Vasconcelos are from Kaysville and Sandy, respectively, and forward Cameron Tucker is from Highland.

"I think that's a really special part of this where we can bring a player back to their home market," Rodriguez said. "I personally know what that can feel like, playing in front of a home crowd in front of friends and family where you where you grew up. I think that's really special.

"And the fact that we've been able to do that with several players who aligned with the style of play that we're looking for and the type of people that we want to bring in here, the fact that those players align and are from Utah as well is just an added bonus. I think it's really exciting for all parties."

The expansion draft selections put the Royals roster total up to 14 players ahead of the college draft on Jan. 12, when Utah has the first overall pick.

Here's Utah's roster by position — along with each player's 2023 NWSL side — as of Friday.

Goalkeepers: Mandy Haught (Gotham FC), Carly Nelson (Orlando Pride)

Defenders: Kaleigh Riehl (San Diego Wave), Madison Pogarch (San Diego Wave), Kate Del Fava (KC Current)

Midfielders: Mikayla Cluff (Orlando Pride), Michele Vasconcelos (Portland Thorns), Emily Gray (North Carolina Courage), Frankie Tagliaferri (North Carolina Courage)

Forwards: Elyse Bennett (OL Reign), Hannah Betford (Portland Thorns), Imani Dorsey (Gotham FC), Paige Monaghan (Racing Louisville), Cameron Tucker (Houston Dash)

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