England's Burnley touches down in Salt Lake hoping to bring new fans to Championship side

HERRIMAN — Tuesday's training session at the Real Salt Lake Academy wasn't the first time Burnley FC defender Bashir Humphreys had kicked a ball with the Wasatch Mountains in the backdrop.

Neither time has disappointed him, either.

The 23-year-old center back was a substitute with the Chelsea Under-21 academy side that played Real Monarchs to a 2-2 draw in the MLS NEXT Pro Invitational back in 2022, and he'll likely feature again as Burnley closes its 10-day preseason tour Wednesday with a friendly match against Real Salt Lake (7:30 p.m. MT, No English broadcast) at America First Field.

"I was having a couple of flashbacks, reminiscing on my way back here," said Humphreys, whose side will face an MLS team for the third time in the preseason. "It's really nice. I enjoyed it then, and I've enjoyed it now.

"This training ground is a lovely setting. There's a certain level of altitude here; I don't really feel like you can prepare yourself to be ready for a tough game at elevation. But it's love, beautiful and scenic around here, and I'm just trying to enjoy it."

The Clarets, a club managed by former RSL executives David Checketts and Alan Pace with investment from retired NFL star J.J. Watt and a his wife Kealia Ohai Watt, opened its North America preseason tour with a 3-1 loss to FC Cincinnati followed by a 1-1 draw with Columbus Crew SC.

Results aside, the former Premier League squad recently relegated to the second-division EFL Championship has helped the three MLS clubs exit their own mini-preseason after the North American league took a month-long break for the FIFA men's World Cup through June.

"They're quite ready, and we are in the first two weeks (of preseason)," said first-year Burnley manager Nicky Hayen, who joined the team during the U.S. tour following his appointment less than a week ago. "Of course, we have to adapt to the rhythm at this moment. But for us, it's really important that everyone gets minutes, that we leave without injury, and that we can take a good feeling away from the States and back to the UK.

"So far, so good."

Burnley's players aren't the only ones in "preseason" mode.

RSL has used the extended layoff from the FIFA men's World Cup to active a second preseason, resuming training after a short break to build off a first-half performance that saw the club jump out to an 8-4-2 start (26 points) for third place in Major League Soccer's Western Conference.

The club has positives to build on, like the breakout form of Sergi Solans' six goals in 14 appearances, tied with rising star Zavier Gozo for the team lead. Despite his midseason snub from Mauricio Pochettino's U.S. men's national team, Diego Luna has continued to impress in his first nine matches of the season with four goals and three assists as Salt Lake's talisman-like attacker.

Perhaps the most improved player from the summer break, though, was Zach Booth. The Eden native on loan with his hometown club from Eredivisie side Excelsior scored his first goal in Salt Lake's mid-season finale May 23 at Minnesota United, and has played both right wing back and left wing back in a pair of shortened scrimmages against MLS competition.

"Most importantly, he's just been a really good soccer player," RSL manager Pablo Mastroeni said of Booth. "His decisions have been better than they've ever been, and I think we're living in real time the moment of a young man who was on the fringes of the group when he got here, played a couple different positions, and now with every training session he becomes more and more of a solidified player in this group.

"The onus on us is where do we play him; it's not so much if we're going to play him or not," Mastroeni added of Booth, who returned from a shoulder injury suffered against Minnesota. "His trajectory in the last three weeks has been rising."

Burnley will be the first English side to visit the Wasatch Front since Manchester United played a friendly against RSL in 2017.

While the focus remains on the game and preparing for the 2026-27 season, bringing the Burnley brand on the transatlantic flight to the hosts of the 2026 men's World Cup doesn't hurt, either. The team has been well-received from Ohio to Utah, and even spent time in a last-minute fan fest with close to 100 supporters of the club living in the Cincinnati area.

"It was really nice to play in front of these great fans," Hayen said. "Of course, the league is really important for us; we can use their support through all of the season. But first, it starts with us. We have to bring the energy to the stadium, they have to identify with us — and then anything is possible."

The club touched down in Salt Lake City on Monday night before training Tuesday morning in Herriman. After Wednesday's match, they'll return to Lancashire to continue preparations for the season — hopefully with a few more supporters along the way, Hayen admitted.

"That'll be nice," he said with a smile. "then we can come back next season."

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