Emery Welshman is in “RSL, Monarchs” preseason camp

Emery Welshman might just be making his way back into the Real Salt Lake system after having his first-team contract option declined this offseason.

The striker, 25, had a strong season with Real Monarchs in 2015, earning a contract with Real Salt Lake for the 2016 season.

But a series of injuries and a two-part hip surgery kept Welshman out for the entire season, and that seemed to have cut his chances short. But with this new revelation, Welshman might just have his second chance to impress.

During the broadcast for Real Salt Lake’s match against New York Red Bulls today, RSL’s vice president of communications, Trey Fitz-Gerald, said Welshman had joined camp, describing it as an “RSL-Monarchs” group. We won’t read too much into that, but it’s likely that Welshman will be looking to show that he deserves another contract inside the organization.

RSL Communications later clarified that Welshman’s status was “up in the air” after his hip injury.

Given the state of RSL’s roster, it’s easy to imagine that a better move for him would be with Real Monarchs. The supplemental and reserve rosters are more or less full at this point. It might be best if he’s given an opportunity with Real Monarchs, which would give him the best environment to return to playing time after a nearly nine-month injury layoff.