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SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Royals went local in their team-building early on but have expanded their sights overseas with recent midseason additions.
After making Kaysville native and BYU alum Mikayla Cluff the first player in the team's return to Utah, the Royals added five more players who played collegiate soccer in Utah via free agency and the draft before playing a single game.
Once the NWSL season began in March, however, all five newcomers have come from outside the U.S., including two promising signees this month.
French midfielder Amandine Henry, Spanish defender Ana Tejada and New Zealand midfielder Macey Fraser joined the squad in April, and all found their way into the starting lineup before Henry and Fraser left for the Paris Olympics with their respective countries.
Head coach Amy Rodriguez was relieved of her duties on June 30 and "more changes to come" were promised after a press conference with sporting director Kelly Cousins and the announcement that Belgian assistant Jimmy Coenraets would take over as interim head coach.
Five days later, the team signed Japanese national team star Mina Tanaka as the Royals' first proven goalscoring threat after struggling to find the back of the net all season. Tanaka has 30 goals with Japan's women's national team and is currently with Japan as it prepares for the Paris Olympics beginning on July 25.
Then, on Friday, the Royals announced another veteran international presence with the signing of Spanish attacking midfielder Claudia Zornoza through the 2025 season. The 33-year-old spent the last three years at Real Madrid and won a World Cup with Spain last year but is not on the Olympic squad this year, allowing her to arrive in Utah as soon as her visa clears.
Bring on that Zornoza magic ✨ pic.twitter.com/gnTqxJVVND
— Utah Royals FC (@UtahRoyalsFC) July 12, 2024
"Claudia is another experienced player we are adding to our midfield," Cousins said in a release. "Her ability on the ball will help us with our build out of the back, and her veteran presence will be important for our locker room as we enter the second half of the season."
The impact of veteran experience on a young team was mentioned by Cousins with both signings this month and a sense of urgency in using the second half of this season as a ramp-up for next season is something Cousins spoke at length about with both the coaching change and roster additions in recent weeks.
Despite sitting in last place in the NWSL with a 2-11-3 record, Cousins said the Royals can be successful in the second half of the season by "having a true identity and style of play" and not finishing the season in last place. Utah remains the only NWSL squad with single-digit goals with eight scored through 16 games.
The team begins the NWSL x LIGA MX Femenil Summer Cup on July 19 in Seattle but has until Aug. 23 before the NWSL regular season picks back up. Coenraets said the team is treating the next several weeks as a "second preseason" as the team adjusts to a new coach and potentially new players as well.
