The Utah Royals FC just officially relaunched in the Beehive State last month. Now, they have their coach, and it’s a woman fans know very well.
The Royals have hired former captain Amy Rodriguez to be the team’s coach, according to a report by ESPN. The team had scheduled a press conference for Thursday to announce the hire, and on Friday a meet-and-greet event is taking place.
“The moment that the Royals organization gave me the phone call, I had the butterflies in my stomach,” Rodriguez told ESPN. “I was so excited to potentially go back to a club that I had so much enjoyment to play for. But this obviously is a much different role, one that is a bit daunting. And I’m not gonna lie. I’m nervous about the task at hand. But it’s an exciting time, too. So I’m like, rolling my sleeves up, ready to go.”
Rodriguez becomes the first former player in the National Women’s Soccer League to return as a coach. She played on the U.S. Women’s National Team for more than a decade and appeared in 132 games while recording 30 goals.
The Royals were Rodriguez’s fifth stop as a professional. She joined the team after former owner Dell Loy Hansen bought out the contracts of the players on the now-defunct FC Kansas City.
Rodriguez played for Utah from 2018-2020. The team was sold in 2020 and moved to Kansas City, where she played for a spell before going to the North Carolina Courage in the same 2021 season.
Most recently, Rodriguez was an assistant coach for the USC women’s soccer team.
from The Salt Lake Tribune https://ift.tt/gPVdCL8
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