Keller Storlie: Leading by Example

April 8, 2024 – MLS NEXT Pro (MLS NEXT Pro)
Real Monarchs News Release

With the transfer of a prodigious 14-year-old, Cavan Sullivan, from the Philadelphia Union Academy to Manchester City in the European soccer’s top league, the sporting world is investigating talented youngsters in the States with an unprecedented intensity. Real Salt Lake and their developmental B-side playing in the MLS Next Pro league, Real Monarchs, contribute to this young pool of talent significantly – touting names familiar to MLS fans like Diego Luna, Axel Kei, Zavier Gozo and most recently Fidel Barajas, all 20 years old or younger. With development at the core of Real Salt Lake’s identity, the Monarchs’ serve as a proving ground for RSL’s next generation of young stars – and the roster is packed full of talent that has our community buzzing with excitement.

Through three matches in their 2024 MLS Next Pro campaign, Monarchs are dead-even across the board, 1-1-1, but have earned five points from their two matches at home in Utah. Their best performance came on Saturday night in Herriman as they took down Minnesota United 2 by a score of 2-1 to capture their first W. With a Monarchs lineup that featured the likes of RSL first-teamers Gozo, Matthew Bell, Tommy Silva and Jude Wellings, it can be tempting to focus on familiar names, but an unsung hero is emerging this season in the form of Keller Storlie.

“He has a very good temperament and a good demeanor. Everyone in the locker room respects him because of who he is as a person. He’s very much a lead-by-example kind of guy … and does the right thing … he’s a great guy and they like him so they’re going to follow him. Yeah, he was the obvious choice for captain,” said Real Monarchs Manager Mark Lowry.

A player reminiscent of the tag “glue guy” or “swiss army knife” Storlie takes on many responsibilities for Lowry’s squad. At 22 years of age, Storlie has parlayed his maturity as both a player and person into a captaincy for this year’s team, donning the illustrious white and black armband last Saturday in Herriman. Not just personally mature, Storlie’s physical maturity affords him a level of impact on the game not wielded by others. A defender, Storlie combines his 6’2”, 215-pound frame with bravery, composure, measured aggressiveness and a physical playstyle to hold opposing attackers at bay, but that’s not all he’s asked to do.

Talking with Storlie, he remarks on the hard work he’s put into his game showing itself on the pitch…