The Utah Royals spent two NWSL seasons in the bottom half of the table. Now, they are finally pushing themselves forward and forcing the opposing side to take notice.
The team is on a five-game unbeaten streak, winning four consecutive matches, and is off to the best start in club history. Utah will face the Houston Dash in a midweek clash on Wednesday (CBS Sports Network, 10 p.m. ET) as both teams turn the page to the quarter mark of the season.
“The saying about streaks is every time you move one step further, you’re one step closer to losing your streak. So I think that’s why we’re just focusing on one game at a time. And I think it feels great. I feel like we’re not only writing history in terms of results, but I think the way we show up, the way these athletes show up, these players, these humans, I think it’s just huge, and that’s why, well, I just want to give them credit,” said Utah head coach Jimmy Coenraets.
“It’s not just winning games. It’s been rough and tough every single day at practice. And we see some, some small injuries, ankle injuries, some players that roll their ankle in practice just because of how we train. And
“I think we practice what we preach. And I think that’s what you see in here as well. There is no getting out of standards, no getting out of values at practice. And that’s what you’ve seen in these games as well. That’s when the fighting spirit comes up, and that’s what I have to praise them for.”
Utah make strides in year three
The Royals have emerged as one of the intriguing stories to kickstart the 2026 NWSL season. They’ve climbed into the top five of the standings, with 13 points through seven games, and have done it with an evolving attack and organized defense that has three consecutive clean sheets, combining international and NWSL experiences that seem to have finally gelled into a cohesive unit.
The franchise re-entered the league in 2024, after the previous iteration of the club ceased operations ahead of the 2021 season as it sought new ownership. The rocky mountain region team struggled heavily during its inaugural year, was in last place midseason after nine losses, and made a coaching change. Jimmy Coenraets was given the interim title, and the team mounted a late-season surge to finish 11th out of 14 teams.
In 2025, Coenraets was given the full-time manager role, though the club had another split season with a poor start, but a scrappy finish to close out the year.
In between the club retooled the roster, sending highly drafted prospect Ally Sentnor to Kansas City Current for a $600,000 intra-league transer fee. Ahead of the 2026 season, they added more pieces to the puzzle, trading for Japanese midfielder Narumi Miura from Washington Spirit,and signed defender Tatum Milazzo and midfielder Miyabi Moriya in free agency.
It’s all part of a longer process of culture building for the young club. That seems to be paying off, at the moment, with trust in the plan.
“I think the one thing that’s happening right now is that we’re having a shift. I think as a staff, our focus was to create this environment and to make sure that everyone understood what the standards are and what we want to be this season. I think now we’re seeing the shift where players are holding each other accountable, and the players are actually driving it, whether it’s a re-entry day, whether it’s a match day minus two, you just feel that players really understand what will bring us success this season,” Coenraets said.
“I’m probably 50% less vocal at practice at the minute, just because the players know. And it’s becoming a habit. It’s becoming a behavior. And again, those are the things we control, and that’s what we want to keep on pushing on. Control your controllables. And this is definitely every time you show up. We don’t want to be outworked.”
Getting off to a historic best start is just one part of the process. The 2026 NWSL regular season is the longest version ever, with every club managing a 30-game slate for the first time in league history.
For a club that is used to having late-season surges, stringing results together over an entire year will have its own set of challenges. Getting off to a successful start could help set the club up for later success if there is a playoff push down the line.
While the season is nowhere close to finished, Utah’s trajectory isn’t just some overnight success; the early returns are promising. It’s no doubt helpful that players stepping up this season have been with the club since its first year, from Paige Cronin to Canadian international Cloe Lecasse.
“I think this season, we’ve been very focused on having a very strong first five to 10 minutes. We don’t want to come onto the pitch asleep. We want to definitely set the tone right from the beginning. And I think the last couple of games, we’ve showcased that very well,” said Lacasse.
“We just want to set the tone of a game… So now it’s just about carrying that forward throughout a full 90, but it is a progress for sure.”
The Royals have another quick turnaround after hosting Houston Dash on Wednesday; the roster will head to Northern California to face Bay FC on Sunday.
Viewing information
- Date: Wednesday, May 6 | Time: 10 p.m. ET
- Location: America First Field — Sandy
- TV: CBS Sports Network | Live stream: Paramount+
