{"id":2421340,"date":"2026-05-18T05:49:27","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T05:49:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2421340"},"modified":"2026-05-18T05:49:27","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T05:49:27","slug":"mina-tanakas-match-winner-stretches-utah-royals-fc-unbeaten-run-to-8-straight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/mina-tanakas-match-winner-stretches-utah-royals-fc-unbeaten-run-to-8-straight\/","title":{"rendered":"Mina Tanaka\u2019s match-winner stretches Utah Royals FC unbeaten run to 8 straight"},"content":{"rendered":"

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SANDY \u2014 Through arguably the best start to a season and a franchise-record seven-match unbeaten streak, Utah Royals FC has pitched itself as the blue-collar team without ego or superstars while taking the NWSL by storm.<\/span><\/p>\n

But the Royals have a star, and Mina Tanaka<\/a> showed it Sunday.<\/span><\/p>\n

Tanaka scored the match-winning goal in the second half of a 2-1 win over Racing Louisville FC at America First Field, sending the Utah Royals back to second place in the 16-team league and a single point off league-leading San Diego through 10 games.<\/span><\/p>\n

With one redirected goal off a brilliant assist from Cece Delzer, Tanaka notched her third goal of the season and 10th of her Royals career \u2014 tied for the second-most in franchise history \u2014 to show, once again, that Utah is a legitimate threat in the NWSL.<\/span><\/p>\n

And Tanaka is a star, perhaps in the league but certainly with the Utah team that matched its win total from all of last year with a 6-2-2 start for 20 points.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAm I annoyed that she\u2019s going under the radar? Probably not,\u201d Utah coach Jimmy Coenraets said. \u201cBut Mina\u2019s going to stay humble anyways; she\u2019s that type of player.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou look at her, and wonder what is she not able to do? She can score goals, she\u2019s a nine, she can assist<\/a>. But she also presses \u2026 She\u2019s becoming that total player, and she\u2019s doing it with a smile on her face.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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One more time for the game-winner \ud83e\udd73 pic.twitter.com\/m9TZrP7ot5<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Utah Royals FC (@UtahRoyalsFC) May 18, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Tanaka sparks Utah Royals comeback<\/h2>\n

Utah captain Paige Cronin rejoined the starting lineup after coming off the bench in last week\u2019s 0-0 road draw with Bay FC that extended the club\u2019s franchise-record unbeaten streak to seven straight<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The attacker made her return felt early, crossing a transition ball in the 22nd minute that caromed off Louisville\u2019s Lauren Milliet to give the hosts a 1-0 lead.<\/span><\/p>\n

Cronin was forced to exit early after apparently planting an ankle wrong, making way for Alexa Spaanstra in the 42nd minute for the most minutes in a match yet for the Royals attacker currently on loan from Portland.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Royals out-shot Louisville 10-2 in the first half, including the only two shots on target with more than 60% of possession.<\/span><\/p>\n

Louisville (2-6-1, 7 points) equalized shortly after halftime, when Kayla Fischer<\/a> took advantage of a poor turnover in the back and finished to snap Utah\u2019s five-match shutout streak at 536 minutes.<\/span><\/p>\n

But just nine minutes later, Tanaka found the back of the net. Delzer drove past two Louisville defenders into the box in the 77th minute before teeing up the Japanese international from the end line for Tanaka\u2019s 10th goal of her Utah Royals campaign.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI always joke that when I\u2019m in the box, 90% of the time I\u2019m passing the ball off,\u201d Delzer admitted half-jokingly. \u201cMina\u2019s usually there, and she\u2019s always going to finish that. It\u2019s so nice to have her there.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s the second-most goals in Utah\u2019s NWSL history, tied with former U.S. star Christen Press and four behind former captain and head coach Amy Rodriguez.<\/span><\/p>\n

But Tanaka, the Thai-born Japanese star who at 32\u00a0 years old still has plenty left in the tank, still has time to prove herself among the best \u2014 not just among the club, but in the league that markets itself as the best in international women\u2019s soccer.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPeople came to apologize about conceding a goal,\u201d Coenraets said. \u201cI told them, I don\u2019t care; the reality of this league is that you\u2019re going to concede goals. It\u2019s about how you respond.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n