• Real Monarchs (13 wins, 2 draws/ties, 5 losses) currently sit at the top of the USL Western Conference, 1 place and 3 points ahead of Rising in 2^nd, with both clubs playing 20 league games.
• Tonight’s game is the second encounter between both sides this season.  Monarchs picked up all 3 points in the Valley back in April, courtesy of a Sebastián Velásquez 57^th minute shot, in a physical encounter that saw 8 cautions (5 for Monarchs, 3 for Rising).
• A win for Rising tonight will enable them to go top on goal difference, but the form book suggests it will be a tough ask.  Monarchs have won 8 and drawn 1 of their 9 home games in 2018, clocking up 6 clean sheets in the process, and outscoring their opponents by 17 goals to 4.
• The only team to come away with a point from Zions Bank Stadium this season is Las Vegas Lights.  The Nevada club drew 0-0 in Utah back on April 30, despite playing a man short for 72 minutes.
• Two changes of note since Monarchs’ April 7 encounter with Rising are the departure of 24 year-old midfielder Karsten Hanlin (who has joined the Switchbacks), and the appointment of interim head coach Jamison Olave.  Head Coach Mark Briggs has been suspended by the club since the end of May, after being charged with multiple misdemeanor counts of domestic violence.
• Five different goalkeepers have played for Monarchs this season.  Jake Leeker (9 games) and Connor Sparrow (7 games) have dominated between the sticks, but Andrew Putna (2 games), David Ochoa, and Alex Horwath (1 game apiece) have also been called upon as the last line of defense.
• Jake Leeker joined Monarchs in January 2018, shortly after finishing college in Memphis.  He has kept 6 clean sheets this season, and has an 81% save success rate.  San Antonio netted 4 of the 8 goals conceded by Leeker this season in last Saturday’s 4-2 defeat in Texas.
• Connor Sparrow is currently on loan from MLS parent club Salt Lake City, who gave him a full professional contract in September 2017 after 2 impressive seasons for Monarchs.  Sparrow has kept 4 clean sheets this season, and has an 86.1% save success rate.

• Defender Kalen Ryden has appeared in all 20 USL games for Monarchs in 2018, including 17 starts (1,635 minutes game time).  Ryden was selected in the 2015 SuperDraft by Columbus Crew, but failed to make an MLS appearance.  A former OKC Energy and Jacksonville Armada player, he moved to Utah in the close season.  Twice selected for the USL team of the week in 2018, Ryden has also contributed 4 goals.  In fact, he was Monarchs’ top scorer after 9 weeks, but hasn’t found the net since his brace in a 4-1 win at home to Swope Park Rangers on May 9.
• Another defender of note is Michael Gallagher.  He previously played for Timbers 2 in the USL in 2016, and is now in his second season at Monarchs. Gallagher scored a 1^st minute own goal away to San Antonio last Saturday.
• Midfielder Sebastián Velásquez is Monarchs’ joint top scorer with 6 goals in 2018, including a brace last Saturday.  Currently in his second season at the club, the Colombian started his professional career with Salt Lake City back in 2012.  After 3 seasons in Utah (38 appearances, 1 goal), he was traded to MLS rival New York City in 2015 (12 appearances, 0 goals).  Velásquez was also the first player to be signed by the ill-fated NASL expansion side Rayo OKC in January 2016.
• Three other key players in midfield are Justin Portillo, Mikail Chang and Charlie Adams.
• Justin Portillo, like defender Ryden, has appeared in all 20 USL games this season (19 starts, 1,743 minutes played).  The central midfielder is a close season capture from Charleston Battery, after 4 successful seasons in South Carolina.  He is currently ranked third for most successful passes (1,170) in both USL conferences.
• Mikail Chang has featured in 19 games (18 starts, 1,577 minutes played).  He accompanied Portillo in the close season from Charleston Battery.  One of the most aggressive playmakers on Monarchs’ roster, Chang is the third player most likely to shoot (24 shots, 15 on target).  He earned 3 full international caps for Cuba prior to his defection in 2012 during a World Cup Qualifier in Toronto.
• Charlie Adams is a former Brentford youth team and Stevenage United player in the English Football League.  The 24 year-old joined Monarchs in August 2016.  He also played 21 league and cup games for Louisville City in the USL in 2015.

• Up front, Chandler Hoffman is the main threat with 6 goals in 19 games.  Currently in his second season in Utah, Hoffman previously played for Louisville City in 2016 (33 league and cup games, 16 goals).  A prolific USL goal scorer, he previously played for 3 different MLS clubs (Philadelphia Union, LA Galaxy and Houston Dynamo) between 2012 and 2015, but failed to find the net in 20 league appearances.

• Monarchs often start games strongly.  17 of their 31 league goals to date have been scored in the first half, including 9 in the first 15 minutes.
• 11 of the 20 league goals conceded have been scored in the second half.

• Favoring a 4-2-3-1 formation in all except one of their games this season, 17 Monarchs players have amassed 36 yellow cards and 1 red card.  Defender James Moberg and midfielder Jack Blake are the worst offenders with 4 cautions apiece.  Midfielder Charlie Adams collected Monarch’s sole red card for a second bookable offence in the 2-1 home win over Orange County on May 4.
• Last Saturday, Monarchs crashed 4-2 away to San Antonio.  They haven’t lost 2 games on the bounce this season.

From the Ashes Prediction:  Rising to steal a point.