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Earlier today the league announced that an ownership group with Ryan Smith and David Blitzer have purchased Real Salt Lake. For fans of the Utah Royals, the first question that came to mind was if the new owners would bring the Royals back. After the franchise was relocated to Kansas City in the wake of Dell Loy Hansen’s actions, the RSL organization retained the rights to the Utah Royals branding and could restart the team as early as 2023.
In an interview with the Salt Lake Tribune’s Andy Larsen, Blitzer says they’re planning on bringing the team back to Utah.
Blitzer says, “I think the best way to say is that’s from our perspective, that’s a function of when, not if. We’re at day one, but this has been an important item that Ryan and I have talked about a lot, and we’re very excited to bring in NWSL team back to this marketplace.”
On ESPN700, Real Salt Lake’s Trey Fitz-Gerald said they have the option to bring the Royals back to Utah in 2023 or 2024. It may be unlikely to see the team return in time for the 2023 NWSL season, and Blitzer’s words may indicate this, but an NWSL team in Utah seems highly likely for the future.