Real Monarchs (W3, D3, L4) start tonight’s game against Rising in 15th position with 12 points. That’s 12 places and 5 points behind Rising who have played one game more.
Monarchs were the only team to do the double over Rising last season, winning 1-0 in a feisty April encounter in the Valley, followed by a 4-1 thrashing in Herriman in July.
They’ve enjoyed a mixed start to the 2019 season, and coach Martin Vásquez will be demanding a little more consistency to climb into playoff contention.
They have adopted a 4-2-3-1 formation in every home game and four of their five away games this season
Tied for passing accuracy (80%) with Rising, Monarchs have kept three less clean sheets than Phoenix to date and also fired off 52 less shots. However, their shots are more likely to be on target (43.3% compared to Rising’s 42.4%), and lead to a goal (17.3% conversion rate compared to Rising’s 14.6%).
LAST TIME OUT
Monarchs lined up 4-4-2 in Oklahoma last Saturday, and came away with a point thanks to a 93rd minute equalizer from Tate Schmitt.
Andrew Putna played his first game of the season in goal against OKC. The 24-year-old has played eight games in three seasons for Monarchs, keeping three clean sheets since he was drafted by parent club RSL in the third round of the 2017 MLS Super Draft. He is expected to deputize again tonight for David Ochoa, who is currently on U.S. U-20 World Cup duty in Poland. Putna’s a former University of Illinois-Chicago keeper who kept 30 shutouts in 74 games, conceding on average 1.05 goals a game. He was an unused sub against Rising in April 2018.
Florida-born Delentz Pierre has been part of the RSL Academy since 2015, and made only his second appearance of the season for Monarchs in OKC. The 6’1 defender qualifies for Haiti and, like most players on the Monarchs roster, is an accomplished passer of the ball.
Joseph Okumu featured in the first four games of the 2019 season, and Monarchs’ last two games. The Kenyan central back signed for Monarchs in August 2018, and has already doubled his games tally this season. Capped at U-21 and U-23 level for Kenya, his former clubs include Chemelil Sugar (Kenya), Free State Stars (South Africa), and AFC Ann Arbor in the NPSL.
Former Orange County left back Noah Powder has featured eight times for Monarchs this season. The 20-year-old played all 90 minutes for Orange County in their 4-3 win in the Valley last August, and also featured as a sub in Rising’s playoff victory last October. Capped at youth levels by Trinidad and Tobago, Power is a former Red Bulls II player.
Konrad Plewa is in his second season at Monarchs, moving to Zions Bank Stadium in 2018 from Saint Louis. Another former Red Bulls II player, the defensive midfielder has appeared 16 times for Monarchs, including four games this season. Currently boasting a 100% tackling success rate and an 88.6% passing success rate, he could be a formidable opponent for Rising tonight.
Captain Andrew Brody is the only player to clock up all 900 minutes of game time this season. The Florida-born right winger has been at Monarchs since November 2015, and played 86 times for them. Brody scored against Rising in the 84th minute in Utah in 2018. He previously played for PDL side Orlando City U-23 while studying at the University of Louisville.
Justin Portillo lined up alongside Brody last time out. Currently on loan from RSL, the OKC game was Portillo’s second start of the season. The former Charleston Battery man played 32 games for Monarchs last season and was the club’s MVP before making the step up to Salt Lake in February this year. Portillo has scored 20 USL league and cup goals for Monarchs (2) and Battery (18) in 134 games.
Monarchs boost World Cup 2018 experience in Ricardo Ávila. The Panamanian international midfielder played against England and Tunisia in Russia and has seven full caps. Ávila scored once in five appearances for Monarchs this season – a left footed strike inside the box in a 5-0 rout of Los Dos back in March. Currently on loan from Universitario, who play in the highest level of football in Panama, Ávila spent time on loan at Koper (Slovenia) and Gent (Belgium) without breaking into either first team. Adept at breaking up play, he also has a keen eye for goal, and will often shoot from distance.
Josh Heard started on the left side of midfield in OKC. A former PDL player at Victoria Highlanders and Puget Sound Gunners, Heard was born in Cardiff, Wales, before moving to Canada. This is Heard’s second season at Zions Bank Stadium, moving to Utah from Bethlehem Steel in November 2017. He collected a yellow card in both games against Rising last season.
Up front, Tate Schmitt netted his second goal of the season for Monarchs last Saturday. His header was initially saved by the OKC keeper but Schmitt was quickest to the loose ball to tap home. On loan from parent club RSL, the Phoenix-born forward has featured in two MLS games this season against Los Angeles and Seattle. Used primarily to lead the line, Schmitt is known for bringing others into play and has started six games this season for Monarchs.
Schmitt was partnered last week by Maikel Chang, whose long cross led to the goal. One of the most aggressive playmakers on the roster, the former Cuban international is in his second season at Zions Bank Stadium. Chang defected to the U.S. when his country played Canada in Toronto in October 2012. He then spent five seasons at Charleston Battery scoring 14 goals in 113 games. One of the first names on the Monarchs’ team sheet, Chang has featured in all ten games in 2019 but has been subbed off twice. He leads Monarchs in terms of goals scored (5), shots (18), and chances created (18) this season. Rising’s defense will need to be at its best to contain him tonight.
Monarchs’ three playing subs last week at OKC were Mastanabal Kacher, Pablo Ruiz, and Damian German.
Kacher and Ruiz both came on in the 80th minute, for Delentze and Heard respectively.
Masta Kacher is a former FC Montreal left winger who moved to Utah from the Switchbacks in February 2018. He played 24 games for Monarchs last season, and provided the assist for the fourth goal against Rising last July. The Algerian has featured eight times this season, with all but one appearance as a substitute.
Argentinian midfielder Pablo Ruiz recorded his third USL appearance of 2019 last week at OKC. Another member of the RSL roster, he played 14 MLS games last season after signing from San Luis in Chile. Ruiz has also been an unused sub for RSL on three occasions this season, limiting his time at Monarchs.
Monarchs’ third substitute last week was 22-year-old forward Damian German. He replaced Ávila in the 85th minute, and is another Phoenix native on the opposition’s roster. German played one game for FC Tucson in the 2018 Open Cup (a 4-2 loss to Vegas). He scored 31 goals in 40 matches at the RSL Academy before playing for Grand Canyon University (2015-17) and San Diego University (2018).
OTHER ROSTER OPTIONS
Scottish midfielder Jack Blake has scored four goals in eight appearances this season. This is his second year at Zions Bank Stadium. He spent the 2018 season on loan last year from Tampa Bay Rowdies, before moving permanently to Utah in the close season. Blake missed the last two league games through injury.
Honduras forward Douglas Martínez also missed last week’s game through injury. Signed in the close season from Vida (Honduran First Division), Martínez acquired USL experience at Red Bulls II in 2017 (16 games, 1 goal). He’s already contributed three assists in eight games this season, and scored one goal away to Austin Bold.
Evan Finney was Monarchs’ reserve keeper last week. The former Penn State University keeper managed only 27 games in four years there due to injury, and also played three games for IMG Academy Bradenton in 2017. Finney joined Monarchs in February 2019, and played in the 3-2 home win against San Antonio in April.
Two non-playing substitutes last weekend were Sam Brown and Kyle Coffee.
Midfielder Brown has come off the bench once this season. The Ivy League Rookie of the Year in 2014-15, he joined Monarchs from Harvard University earlier this year.
Forward Coffee joined Monarchs this season from the University of Washington (74 appearances, 15 goals, 9 assists). He’s clocked up 175 minutes game time in four appearances to date (three as a substitute), and scored the 72nd winner against San Antonio in mid-April.
INTERNATIONAL DUTY
Goalkeeper David Ochoa is not the only player missing tonight due to international call-ups. Forward Luis Palma is also at the FIFA U-20 World Cup for Honduras.
From The Ashes Prediction: A better night in Herriman than last season – 2-1 to Rising.