December 13, 2023 – National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) – Utah Royals News Release
HERRIMAN, Utah – Utah Royals FC now have 12 players on its 2024 preseason roster ahead of Friday’s National Women’s Soccer League Expansion Draft, the reborn Club set to return to the NWSL as a 2024 expansion side, along with Northern California’s Bay FC.
The 2024 NWSL Expansion Draft, presented by Ally, will be held this Friday, Dec. 15, beginning at 5:00 p.m. MT, with Utah Royals FC currently slated to select No. 2 overall. Fans can watch LIVE on CBS Sports Network as the two expansion sides can select up to 12 players each, with additional coverage via CBS Sports Golazo and the “Attacking Third” show & social accounts.
Tuesday, a series of transactions were announced by Sporting Director Kelly Cousins on behalf of the Club, positioning URFC for Friday’s draft with a combination of players celebrating Utah homecomings, young NWSL players seeking new opportunities, and various mechanisms added to the club arsenal as Utah builds its roster with new Head Coach Amy Rodriguez.
In the first move of the day, the Utah side acquired reigning NWSL champion GK Mandy Haught from Gotham FC in exchange for $150,000 in allocation money and expansion protection. Haught made three playoff appearances in 2023 for Gotham, with shutouts in the quarterfinals and semifinals. The former Virginia Tech standout (she joins fellow former Hokie Emily Gray in Utah) is just the third goalkeeper in league history to post clean sheets in her first two career postseason starts, prior to hoisting the 2023 NWSL trophy with a 2-1 win over OL Reign in the Final.
Later in the afternoon, Utah Royals FC traded another $75,000 in allocation money and expansion protection to KC Current to bring home a former Royals player, MF Kate Del Fava, and the No. 4 overall pick in January’s 2024 NWSL draft. Del Fava, 25, debuted with the first iteration of the Utah Royals during the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup and made six appearances before the club relocated to Kansas City. The former Illinois State standout from Kenosha, Wisconsin, made 40 appearances the past three years for KC, including scoring the game-winning goal in the 10th minute of overtime of a playoff match against the Houston Dash in 2022 – the latest goal in NWSL history at the time.
Del Fava was the first of four players with Utah ties who discovered their return to the Wasatch this week, as Cousins and Rodriguez also brought home Timpanogos High alum and…