- Zach Booth, from Eden, returns to Real Salt Lake on a one-year loan.
- Booth played in Europe for nearly six years before joining RSL's preseason.
- His wife Kate Booth will play her senior season at Utah Valley University.
HERRIMAN — Plenty of youth soccer players in Utah want to grow up to play professionally, but for Zach Booth, the dream was a little different.
The native of Eden, Utah — a Weber County town of less than 1,000 people located between Pineview Reservoir and Powder Mountain ski resort — has played professionally in Europe for nearly six years. But the 2026 MLS season will be a little bit different for the 21-year-old who grew up with LaRoca FC and Real Salt Lake's academy.
After stops with Leicester City, Volendam and Excelsior Rotterdam in the Netherlands, Booth will get to live out that dream.
"It really is a childhood dream to play for RSL," said Booth, who signed a one-year loan to return to Salt Lake after moving abroad when he was 16. "I've always wanted to play here, to represent Utah, to represent my people and the club.
"I was in Europe for 5-6 years," he added, "and to have the opportunity to come back home for me is something special, to play in front of my family and my friends."
Booth joins a Salt Lake side at the start of the team's preseason, and one in a bit of transition.
With rising stars Diego Luna and Zavier Gozo up top and goalkeeper Rafael Cabral in the back, Real Salt Lake is looking to add to the attack following the departure of former Designated Player striker Rwan Cruz due to a loan termination by Brazilian club Botafogo, as well as a contract buyout of fellow DP Diogo Gonçalves announced Wednesday afternoon.
Cruz played just 12 matches in the second half of RSL's 2025 season, totaling one assist in 642 minutes from the multi-million dollar signing. Gonçalves was more involved in the attack with four goals and five assists in 2,180 minutes over 29 matches last year, including 26 starts.
In the club's preseason opener Thursday, a 2-1 win over Danish first-division club Randers FC, Booth made runs and found transition moments on the right side of the attack in Salt Lake's 3-2-4-1 formation, head coach Pablo Mastroeni noted.
RSL manager Pablo Mastroeni flipped his minutes in the second preseason game, when Booth played the final 35 minutes in a 2-1 win over Brøndby IF in the second of three matches at the Atlantic Cup.
"One of the things I think we were below average at last year were transition moments, and I think he found some really good pockets and drove with the ball, and created some good opportunities for himself and his teammates," Mastroeni said.
"The first week, there's a bit of an adaptation phase for any new player," he added. "But the last couple of sessions he had and tonight's performance, I'm just really pleased for him. He's a great teammate, he's talented, and tonight he had an opportunity to show — and I think he did a great job."
Booth returns to the club of his youth a significantly different person, though still only 21. But moving overseas at 16 taught him to grow up, not only as a player but in life.
In short, he left a teenage boy, following in the footsteps of older brother (and U.S. international) Taylor, who plays for FC Twente — and returns a man.
Booth married his longtime girlfriend, former Woods Cross standout Kate Howes, last May and the two were sealed in the Paris temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Kate Booth, a left-footed attacker who played three seasons of college soccer at Portland and Memphis and spent time last summer with Utah United in the USL W League, even joined him for six months in the Netherlands.
another preseason dub in the books pic.twitter.com/YAkTtB7N4u
— Real Salt Lake (@realsaltlake) January 26, 2026
But Booth admitted that few people are happier for his return stateside than his newlywed wife whom he admits — through something of a competitive grimace — has a stronger left foot than his own.
Kate Booth has already committed to play her senior season at Utah Valley, where she'll join fellow transfers Presley Ray (Weber State), Tess Livingston (Idaho State), Londyn Lovell (Utah) and Lynette Bryant (BYU) as the Wolverines try to build on one of the best seasons in program history, a 14-5-3 record at-large NCAA Tournament berth while commuting from the couple's home near Real Salt Lake's training grounds in Herriman.
"It's perfect for us, to live close to the facility, and she can drive down for training and school every day," Booth said. "To be around family and newly married is amazing for us. She's super happy to be back, and I'm happy to be with her."
It's also perfect for Booth, who played mostly in midfield and on the wing in his career but could find a space closer to goal with Salt Lake — much like where he played in the first 45 minutes of Thursday's preseason game.
Wherever it is, he only has one objective.
"I just want RSL to be successful," Booth said, "and I want to be a part of it."
