This past November, it took NWSL fans by surprise that FC Kansas City folded and ceased operations. From this loss, a new team has been born in Salt Lake City, the Utah Royals. Not only did Kansas City come to an end, but their head coach Vlatko Andonovski, who had been with the team since 2013 made a switch with former Seattle Reign head coach Laura Harvey, who served five years with the Reign.

All FCKC players that had a contract for the 2018 season were sent to the Utah Royals. Ten new players were listed to Utah and six from the Blues were brought together to create the Royals.

The remaining eight players from Kansas City involved transfers and trades. With these player adjustments Harvey has her work cut out for her as she has had to create team chemistry from scratch. Within the past nine season games, the Royals have scored a total of seven goals so far.

With Harvey, the Reign were the 2014 and 2015 NWSL Shield winners and she was awarded two NWSL Coach of the Year awards. Although she is still in the beginning of her time with the Royals, they have made some progress. They currently hold a 4-2-5 record and the fourth spot in the NWSL standings.

Surprisingly, Utah has a wide fan base for soccer. The Real Salt Lake matches are also a hit for Utah residents as they rally together and take pride in the Real Monarchs. The Court is a platform for Royal supporters to come together for the women’s team.

While the Royals are on the road playing, you can often find participants of The Court with their eyes glued to the TV and energy filled to the brim at Legends Sports Pub in Salt Lake City.

President of The Court Kristina Anderson found her voice through the Monarchs where she also became a significant member to The Wasatch Legions, a supporter group for the Monarchs.

At the end of April, the Royals made some progress and earned their first home point. Amy Rodriguez who suffered last year from an ACL tear in FCKC season home opener scored in the 53 minute to give Utah a 1-0 lead. Shortly after, the Portland Thorns scored the equalizer before they could celebrate their first win.

Despite standing in seventh place in the league, the support from The Court and Royal fans came to life as they saw their first win of the season against the Washington Spirit, who fell 2-0 at Rio Tinto Stadium.

The strong results have continued for the Royals. On Saturday they defeated previously unbeaten NC Courage 1-0 thanks to a 94th minute goal from Brittany Ratcliffe. They will hope to continue their positive run of form next weekend when they travel to Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Illinois to take on the Chicago Red Stars.