RESOLVING THE LEDGER
This is one outlet's own report from Yahoo Sports — the article as it was filed. Other outlets are covering the same event; open the full story to compare every source side by side.
See the full story · 1 sourcesThe Utah Royals, including goalkeeper Mandy McGlynn (1) and defender Kate Del Fava (8) celebrate a win over the Seattle Reign FC in an NWSL soccer match, Sunday, April 26, 2026, in Seattle. n)
|
Lindsey Wasson
Utah Royals FC delivered a statement to the rest of the NWSL with its dominant 5-1 win over the Portland Thorns on Sunday.
It was Utah’s third match in seven days following a 4-1 win over North Carolina Courage and a 1-0 loss to Washington Spirit, a team that has been in the last two NWSL championships.
On Sunday, the Royals conceded a goal to Portland’s Sophia Wilson 34 seconds into the match but bounced back and scored the most goals in a single match in club history.
“If you believe in yourself, nothing’s impossible. I think that’s a reality,” Royals head coach Jimmy Coenraets told reporters afterward.
Wilson’s quick goal could have proved disastrous for Utah, but the team settled in and dominated the Thorns.
Utah Royals defender Kaleigh Riehl tips the ball away from Seattle Reign FC midfielder Maddie Mercado, back, during the second half of an NWSL soccer match, Sunday, April 26, 2026, in Seattle.
|
Lindsey Wasson
“It was just such shell-shock because it happened so quickly, and I think that I’ve seen this group bounce back so many times throughout the year,” midfielder CeCe Delzer, who scored a brace, said. “I think that as a collective, we didn’t want to harp on it too much and just remember there was 89 minutes left in the game. There was a lot of time for us.”
Forward Cloé Lacasse, who had three assists in the game, said the team had to “take a breath and make sure that we were going to control the rest of that game.”
Utah did just that, putting the rest of the league on notice.
“I think it just shows that we’re here to compete. We’re here to stay in the mix,” Delzer said.
Seattle Reign FC goalkeeper Claudia Dickey goes up for the ball against Utah Royals defender Kaleigh Riehl (18) and gets tangled up with Reign FC defender Emily Mason (14) during the second half of an NWSL soccer match, Sunday, April 26, 2026, in Seattle. .
|
Lindsey Wasson
On Sunday, Delzer scored the Royals’ first two goals of the match to equalize in the 35th minute and then take the lead in the 47th.
In the 68th minute, Sandy native and former BYU star Brecken Mozingo then scored her first goal of the season three minutes after entering the game.
Then the Royals started scoring every 10 minutes with forward Kianna Palacios finding the back of the net in the 79th minute and center back Kate Del Fava adding the final exclamation point in the 89th.
We highly suggest you grab some popcorn for these highlights 🍿 #UTAvPOR | @AFCU pic.twitter.com/KAdf7yTZlR
— Utah Royals FC (@UtahRoyalsFC) August 3, 2026 “This group just has the ability to bounce back,” Delzer said. “We’re not going to let anything really jar us. Obviously, it’s not ideal giving up a goal in the first minute or so, but I think it just puts us in uncomfortable positions, the positions that we need to not shy away from.”
A team of goal scoring threats
Mozingo’s goal made her Utah’s 11th goal scorer of the season. Utah Royals FC plays unselfishly with a scoring by committee offense, and it’s working.
“Everyone you bring on the pitch is doing their jobs and is trying to contribute to what the team needs,” Coenraets said. “I think that’s very special this season.”
Utah’s 31 goals of the season are the most in the league and its 186 shots only trail San Diego. For context, the Royals only scored 28 goals in 2025.
Seattle Reign FC midfielder Jess Fishlock passes against Utah Royals defender Ana Tejada during the first half of an NWSL soccer match, Sunday, April 26, 2026, in Seattle.
|
Lindsey Wasson
The Royals still have 12 more games left this season, and the club scored nine goals just last week.
“You scored nine goals for a team that last season struggled very heavily with scoring goals, and all of a sudden you’re number one in the league when it comes to scoring goals,” Coenraets said. “I think it’s finding a way, and again, like, do we have the biggest stars? No, but we’re finding ways to score goals. And we have 11 goal scorers, so that keeps us going.”
Mozingo hadn’t appeared in a game since July 5, a game where she only played 12 minutes. The former BYU product wasn’t even on the active roster for the Spirit game, a decision Coenraets said was to bolster the midfield to compensate for an under the weather Narumi.
It only took Mozingo three minutes to make an impact.
Brecken Mozingo - 68' pic.twitter.com/a16qUAjW25
— Utah Royals FC (@UtahRoyalsFC) August 3, 2026 The roster’s depth and the threat that all the players can provide is “the beauty of our roster,” Delzer said.
The team’s togetherness also adds to Utah’s success.
“Our locker room is very much where we want to give each other our flowers and celebrate each other,” Delzer said. “I think you see that on the field, everyone working together towards one goal.”
Surging to the top and facing ‘world-class’ players
Utah currently sits in third place in the NWSL standings, four points behind first place Gotham FC. A stark contrast from the 12th and 11th place finishes of the last two seasons.
ESPN even has the club ranked first overall in its NWSL power rankings, writing, “there’s just no doubt that Utah is the real deal this year.”
Lacasse, who leads Utah in both goals (6) and assists (7), called Sunday’s win “a big three points” in the club’s pursuit of its ultimate goal.
Utah Royals forward Cloé Lacasse looks on against the Seattle Reign FC during the first half of an NWSL soccer match, on April 26, 2026, in Seattle.
|
Lindsey Wasson
“I think it’s very honest that this season we are competing to be at the top of the table, and we are right there,” she said of the message the win sends. “I think it’s just certain moments that we have to clean up at times. Like, the first minute of this game wasn’t ideal. You never want to start that way,...
AIPROPX is an independent multi-source news index — we track, compare, and connect coverage from across the web into one place you won't find anywhere else.