Utah Royals’ Jimmy Coenraets named coach of the month after unbeaten May

SANDY — After blitzing through May, the Utah Royals are the hottest team in the NWSL.

And head coach Jimmy Coenraets is being recognized for it.

Coenraets was named NWSL Coach of the Month for the month of May, an award voted on by the NWSL Media Association and the league’s on-air broadcast talent, after leading the club to an unbeaten 4-0-2 record to sit just one point off first place in the 16-team league during the month-long international break around the FIFA men’s World Cup.

Through 12 matches, Utah (7-2-3, 24 points) is just one point behind the San Diego Wave (8-4-1, 25 points) and tied with the Portland Thorns (7-3-3, 24 points) with a game in hand on both clubs.

Picked to finish in the bottom third of the league in the preseason, the Royals are the surprise team of the 2026 campaign. The club that has never made the NWSL playoffs — in either iteration of the club, from 2018-2020 before relocating to Kansas City or since its revival in 2023 — is suddenly a championship contender as the league approaches the halfway point of the season.

Japanese international Mina Tanaka leads the Royals with four goals and four assists, the latter of which is tied for the most in the league. Cloé Lacasse has three goals and three assists before being called into camp with the Canadian national team, and first-year striker Kiana Palacios just scored in back-to-back games before being called up by Mexico during the break.

U.S. international Mandy McGlynn leads the defense in goal, and Kate Del Fava was recently named to the United States’ U-23 roster for a pair of friendlies in Brazil during the international break.

But the super power behind the club’s success is a group that “we like each other,” as Utah native Courtney Brown explained, and an architect in the 31-year-old Belgium manager with only his second professional head coaching position.

Celebrating all the desire, grit, and behind the scenes work 👏 pic.twitter.com/EdQoF9yKYb

— Utah Royals FC (@UtahRoyalsFC) June 4, 2026

The Royals won all three home matches in May, outscoring their opponents 6-2 on aggregate and adding a pair of road shutouts over Angel City and Bay FC before a wild 2-2 draw at Portland in the pre-international break finale to collect 14 of a possible 18 points from six matches.

They’ll return from the break July 5 with a road trip to the Chicago Stars before hosting New Jersey-based Gotham FC on Friday, July 10 (8 p.m. MT, CBS Sports Network).

Five of the Royals’ first eight matches out of the break will be held at home, with a first-of-its-kind trip to regional rival Denver scattered with a visit to the North Carolina Courage.