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SANDY, Utah (Friday, July 10, 2026) \u2013<\/strong> Utah Royals FC (7-4-3, 24 points, 5th NWSL) fell to Gotham FC (7-3-3, 24 pts, 4th NWSL) 3-1 in its first home match following the month-long break in NWSL play.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Watch \/ Listen to Utah Head Coach Jimmy Coenraets, Forward Clo\u00e9 Lacasse, Goalkeeper Mandy McGlynn following 3-1 loss against Gotham FC on Fri., July 10, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Utah Royals Head Coach Jimmy Coenraets<\/strong> made three changes to the starting lineup following the 3-2 road loss against the Chicago Stars last Sunday. Defender Kameron Simmonds<\/a> earned her third start of the season tonight, along with two changes in the midfield, Madison Hammond<\/a> and Japanese star Mina Tanaka<\/a> who returned to the pitch for the first time tonight since the month-long break.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n The Royals started the evening match with energy, executing its offensive press with precision. In the 8th minute Gotham\u2019s goalkeeper was caught out of position and made a weak pass following intense pressure from Kiana Palacios<\/a>. The ball bounced past the open net and across the box for Cece Delzer<\/a> who took a touch before shoveling the ball off to Tanaka whose shot went over the goal.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n While the one touch shot by the Japanese veteran wasn\u2019t enough to convert, the early opportunity showcased URFC\u2019s ability to capitalize and create dangerous scoring opportunities.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n After forward Clo\u00e9 Lacasse<\/a> had back-to-back chances in the 21st minute, the home side\u2019s pressure paid off just two minutes later when Tanaka received the ball at midfield, taking a touch before passing off to Palacios who sent a perfectly weighted ball through the middle for Delzer. After taking a few touches the veteran forward sent a right footed shot into the back of the net for the lead. The goal not only marked Delezer’s second of the season but her second consecutive goal after converting a penalty in last week’s match against Chicago.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n Unfortunately, just three minutes later, Utah conceded a foul in the box subsequently giving the visitors a penalty kick. Gotham\u2019s Gonzalez sent the ball into the right corner to even the score. Although the home side continued to fight throughout the remainder of the first half, the visitors were able to score off of a controversial corner kick, sending URFC into the locker room down 2-1.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n As the second half began, the Royals continued to battle in search of the equalizer. After missing last weekend’s match due to injury, Japanese defender Miyabi<\/a> and veteran forward Paige Cronin<\/a> subbed into the match, bringing fresh legs and energy for the home side.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n While URFC was able to find attacking chances, Gotham broke through the defense in the 70th minute, bringing the score to 3-1. While the packed home crowd of 10,014 fans stood behind the Royalty, the squad was unable to convert offensively, falling for a second-straight match.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n