A midseason check-in with Real Monarchs captain Chandler Hoffman

With all the crazy buzz in the Real Salt Lake family going on right now between our newly minted Utah Royals FC and RSL continuing to beat teams left and right, some people may forget about our Real Monarchs, who are quietly dominating in the USL.

With their season being a little more than half over, we wanted to take a look at where they’re at and everything they’ve done right so far. Real Monarchs captain Chandler Hoffman sat down with us to talk about his team’s current run of form.

Currently sitting atop the league with 38 points, a 12-2-4 record, and an +11 goal differential, the Real Monarchs are doing everything right. Averaging over 2 points a match, what they’re doing is impressive but even more so when you look at last year they were doing the exact same thing. Currently the Real Monarchs are averaging 2.11 points per game, at the end of last season they averaged 2.09 points per game. The consistency this team has had these last two seasons is remarkable.

Hoffman said the team’s key to consistency has been understanding the work to be done.

“The important thing is the main core of the Monarchs guys know what we need to do to get the job done,” Hoffman said. “Then the other guys we have that weekend help get them to the level that we want and we expect.”

Hoffman also credits a large amount of the Monarchs continued success to Real Monarchs General Manager Dan Egner who played a large role in bringing in players like Sebastian Velasquez, Charlie Adams, Nick Besler and Hoffman himself to Utah.

“I think that was the biggest turning point,” Hoffman said. “We have guys that aren’t complacent and aren’t happy with just winning they wanna keep getting better and keep doing more.”

An additional part of the Real Monarchs success this year has been due to the new facilities they got. Now with their own stadium and training facility, the Monarchs have everything they need to be successful.

“This facility, it’s one of the best in the world,” Hoffman said. “I feel like with this type of facility, we have to hold ourselves to a certain standard, and we’ve done that great in the first half of the season.”

Hoffman emphasized how crucial the Real Salt Lake Academy players have been for the Monarchs as well.

“I think it (the academy) is awesome and gives players, especially in the academy, the goal of moving forward,” he said. “Sometimes its a huge leap straight from the academy to the first team so the Monarchs is a great opportunity to kind of own their skills.”

Real Monarchs are ready to keep pushing through this 2018 season. With just under half the season left, the Real Monarchs hope to not just win the shield, but to win the championship this time.

Real Monarchs SLC

Hoffman has his own personal goals, like reaching the 50 goal mark and winning the Golden Boot.

“For me one of the big goals I had set was to reach that 50-goal mark, so once I scored that one that was kinda a huge personal achievement for myself,” he said. “I’ve never won the golden boot for the USL. I’ve always finished second or third, so this year, that’s the personal goal for me. I think I’m three goals out from the golden boot right now. I’m hoping to really pick it up these last 16 games.”

As a personal accomplishment, Hoffman would love to win the Golden Boot but more than anything he just wants to lift a trophy with his team.

The Real Monarchs still have nine home games left this season. Their next home game will take place on Saturday against Seattle Sounders 2 with kickoff at 8 p.m.