Utah Royals add general manager among 11 staff promotions, additions
Apr 7, 2026, 2:10 PM
Towels marking the return of the National Women’s Soccer League team, the Utah Royals, hang on the backs of chairs during a news conference by the Real Salt Lake ownership at America First Field in Sandy on Saturday, March 11, 2023. (Courtesy of Deseret News)
(Courtesy of Deseret News)
HERRIMAN — The Utah Royals are adding to the front office as fast as the start to the 2026 NWSL season.
The NWSL club based in the Beehive State announced a series of staff promotions and additions Tuesday that includes a general manager role for the first time since the league in 2023.
After a 2-2-1 start in the first month of the season, the Royals promoted assistant sporting director Connor Oniki to general manager, where the Utah native will continue to support sporting director Kelly Cousins near the top of the club’s front office.
Here’s a look at the series of staff changes and additions announced Tuesday.
Oniki named Utah Royals general manager
Oniki, who has been with the club since 2023, will take on additional responsibilities after spending the past three years overseeing roster building, league compliance, and operational leadership.
A graduate of Brigham Young University with a law degree from Harvard, Oniki will also oversee the club’s sporting operations and long-term roster strategy in his new role.
The Royals noted his “strong knowledge of league mechanisms and player personnel operations” as instrumental to the club’s growth.
Cousins arrived in Utah as the Royals’ first-ever sporting director upon the club’s relaunch in 2023, joining the NWSL side following years in her native England that included time as head coach and director of women’s and girls football at Reading FC.
She signed an extension in November 2025, shortly after the organization appointed former Real Salt Lake star Jason Kreis as president of soccer operations, overseeing both RSL and the Royals.
Excited to continue our journey with Connor Oniki as our General Manager!
📰: https://t.co/TAdFlnE21y pic.twitter.com/ln1IyvwtJs
— Utah Royals FC (@UtahRoyalsFC) April 7, 2026
More staff updates
The club also announced 10 other new staff additions and promotions Tuesday, including the following:
- Mark Plaisance, head of performance
- Brett Ladoux, sport scientist
- Rylie McMurry, head athletic trainer
- Paula Garcia, assistant athletic trainer
- Juliette Cryder, head equipment manager
- Kyllian Perrin, team operations manager
- Alex Inzurriaga, team operations coordinator
- Jess Mendez, lead strength coach
- Kayla Rubenstein, assistant equipment manager
- Ainsley Abraham, player care coordinator
Currently seventh place in the 16-team NWSL standings following a 1-0 win over Chicago Stars, the Royals will welcome back eight players from international duty April 26 when the club travels to Lumen Field in Seattle to face Reign FC (6 p.m. MT, Victory+) for the first of consecutive road matches.
Utah is back home May 6 to host the Houston Dash (8 p.m. MT, CBS Sports Network).
Follow Utah Royals with KSL Sports
All Utah Royals English-language radio coverage for the 2026 season will be carried on various KSL radio signals, primarily KSL Sports Zone (97.5 FM/1280 AM) and KSL Newsradio (102.7 FM / 1160 AM).
You can find KSL Sports coverage of Utah Royals FC here.
