HERRIMAN, Utah (Friday, July 29, 2022) – Real monarchs (2-12-2, 8 points, 10th in the West) will travel West to face the Earthquakes II on Sunday, July 31 with kickoff set for 7:00 PM MT. The Monarchs will look to build on their recent success at the MLS NEXT Pro Invitational where the team defeated Chelsea FC U-21s 5-4 in penalty kicks after a 2-2 draw, while also defeating Wolverhampton Wanderers U-21s FC 2 -0.
Sunday’s game, as well as all Real Monarchs games this season, will be streamed live via www.MLSnextPro.com.
True Monarchs vs. Earthquakes II
PayPal Park, San Jose, California
Sunday, July 31 at 7:00 PM MT
Game notes for Sunday’s RM vs SJ game available online
The Adobe PDF version of the 2022 MLS NEXT Pro Game Guide ahead of Sunday’s contest between the Real Monarchs and Sporting Kansas City II can be found here. Members of the media requesting to receive the document as an attachment or have further questions are asked to contact Meg Van Dyk at RSL Communications via email at meg.vandyk@rsl.com.
2022 registrations: Real Monarchs (2-12-2, 8 points); Earthquakes II (8-6-3, 28 points)
Head to head: In the first match between the two sides in MLS NEXT Pro, Earthquakes II defeated Real Monarchs 1-0 in a hard-fought 90-minute battle. The Monarchs will travel to San Jose hoping to return the favor.
MLS NEXT Pro Invitational
Last week, the Real Monarchs hosted the inaugural MLS NEXT Pro Invitational tournament, facing English Premier League 2 sides Chelsea FC U-21 and Wolves U-21. The Monarchs claimed five of a possible six points after a strong performance from RSL Homegrown goalkeeper Gavin Beavers in both games. The goalkeeper made a critical save and scored his spot-kick in the 5-4 win against Chelsea, before earning his third shutout in five games with a 2-0 win over Wolves.
Real Monarchs also saw goals from defender Golden Mafwenta and midfielders Pedro Fonseca and Tyrone Mondi during the invitational. Mafwenta’s goal was his first since signing with Real Monarchs on 27 April. In addition, defender Aziz Kayondo recorded his first assist with the Monarchs since joining the Club at the end of April.
In addition to his phenomenal play at the invitational, Beavers recently earned another call-up with the US Men’s National U-19 team, his third invitational of the year. Homegrown will miss the game with Earthquakes II as he attends the U-19 camp from July 25 to August 2 in Carson, California.
Outside of the MLS NEXT Pro Invitational, Real Monarchs have won their last two games at Zions Bank Stadium, defeating Timbers 2 4-0 and Sporting Kansas City II 1-0. In addition to two clean sheets by the Beavers, the Monarchs were led offensively by goals from Tyrone Mondi, Benjamin Rodriguez and RSL Homegrowns Axel Kei and Chris Garcia. The goals from Rodriguez and Garcia were their first of the season, also marking Rodriguez’s first professional goal.
Mondi has been on a tear in recent weeks, scoring twice against the Timbers 2 and scoring two more during the MLS NEXT Pro Invitational. The midfielder’s goals during the tournament proved critical as his first was a 32nd-minute equalizer against Chelsea U-21s to get Real Monarchs back into the game while his second was the nail in the coffin in the Monarchs’ 2-0 win over Wolves U-21. 21. Mondi currently leads the Club in shots on goal with nine and is second with 4 goals, just one behind fellow midfielder Pedro Fonseca.
