Did Utah Royals’ 2024 season meet expectations? highs, lows, and future hopes | OneFootball

The expectations were high for a new management and roster when the Utah Royals returned to the NWSL. That journey was quite the roller coaster from high highs to low lows. The 2024 season may have been a real test for the team, the fans, and the new coach Jimmy Coenraets. Teasingly, one wonders whether the performance of the Utah Royals was satisfying or disappointing.

The season kicked off in style as 20,370 packed into the stadium-a first for a women's sports event in Utah. The immediate public response brought hope, while less encouraging were the early results of the on-field performance-after an eight-game winless streak to begin the season, the Royals started with 2 wins, 11 losses, and 2 draws. The team looked like it was lost in the field, ending the first half of the season with just 8 points, scoring 7 goals and conceding 27, which placed them dead last.

These grim numbers give rise to a very important question: was this team really ready to compete in the NWSL, or did it get on the pitch unprepared? The answer seemed pretty evident-there was a lot of work ahead.

Change in Coaching: The Key to a Turnaround?

Then, Jimmy Coenraets took the interim head coaching role, which managed to reorganize the team and give a second life to this season. Since the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup, the Royals started an uprising in recovery and led Group A with the beginning of a new identity. It was a relief for some fans, and Coenraets won over the trust of the club in no time as his contract was signed through 2027.

The impact of Coenraets was palpable: from 0.44 goals per game the team had been averaging to 1.18 under the new coach. Barring that massive change, was that enough to alter things?

New Signings: Attempt at Reinforcement

More than matching a coaching change, the Royals' management signed some high-profile signings in the likes of Mina Tanaka of Japan, Cloé Lacasse of Canada, and Claudia Zornoza of Spain. These international reinforcements brought experience and talent, but didn't have enough time to make a consistent impact. Lacasse, with her historic hat-trick against Seattle Reign FC, and Zornoza with her goals and assists in midfield, showed what they could give. But such individual glimpses weren't enough to change the Royals into winners.

Young Talent and Building a New Generation

It's why Utah Royals invested in young talents such as first pick Ally Sentnor in the draft. Indeed, Sentnor impressed with three goals and four assists while shining in the Summer Cup. One of the big questions is whether this really is a long-term strategy that will pay dividends, but in 2024, that emphasis on young player development came at a cost in not being able to accrue the experience and consistency a team needs against some of the more established squads in the league.

Review of the Season: Overall Evaluation

From the numbers and performance perspective, the 2024 season cannot be deemed an absolute success. The Royals had a finishing position of 11th place with 25 points, seven points from the playoff line. If the first half of the season was disastrous, the second half did show some improvements but failed to live up to expectations.

Positives

Negatives

Success or Disappointment?

The 2024 season for the Utah Royals was more about rebuilding rather than any form of winning. While the team did manage to escape the bottom and showcase their potentials under Coenraets, they are still far from being any elite NWSL squad. Takeaway: A year of lessons, moments of hope, but lots that needs fixing.

Going into 2025, the Royals need to continue investing in their talent pool, firm up that defense, and ensure that the team's cohesion-arguably one of the top talking points since spring training earlier this year-is prioritized as soon as possible. Maybe if they learn from their missteps of 2024 and focus on stability and consistency, they might finally turn these hopes into real success.