Utah Royals FC draft three offensive players

Utah Royals FC selected three draft picks in the 2020 NWSL College Draft. This was the first year Utah aimed to bring in players who could immediately make an impact.

On Tuesday, Utah Royals FC received the No. 8 overall pick from the Chicago Red Stars in exchange for allocation money. It was the first time since allocation money was introduced this offseason that allocation money was used in a trade. And it was the first time, Utah would select in the first round. Overall, Utah selected the 8th, 12th, and 31st picks.

With the first pick of the day for URFC, 8th overall, Utah selected Tziarra King, a dynamic midfielder from North Carolina State University. King had 48 goals and 19 assists in 88 games for NC State. Her goalscoring abilities will be greatly welcomed in Utah, especially paired to help Christen Press and Amy Rodriguez.

Four picks later, Utah would again have an opportunity to select early. With the 12th pick overall, Utah chose Kate Del Fava from Illinois State University, adding another midfielder as well. Del Fava also has the ability to play outside back. Del Fava scored 25 goals over four seasons at ISU and was named the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year in 2019.

With its final pick in the 4th round, Utah again opted to focus on an offensive player, selecting forward Cyera Hintzen from the University of Texas-Austin, joining fellow UT alum Abby Smith in Utah. Hintzen had an outstanding junior season, scoring 10 goals with 9 assists in 2018, becoming the first Longhorns player to earn Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year honors.

It was obvious Utah wanted to focus on the offense, which for the past two seasons has had trouble in scoring despite having players like Christen Press and Amy Rodriguez. The addition of King, Del Fava, and Hintzen will hopefully bolster a dull attack.