Jameese Joseph quickly finds her fit with Utah Royals

HERRIMAN — Jameese Joseph didn’t need much time to settle in.

The Utah Royals acquired the 24-year-old forward from the Chicago Stars last Monday for $750,000 in intraleague transfer funds. Five days later, Joseph was in Houston, coming off the bench in the 68th minute of Utah’s win over the Dash.

“I got here last Monday, so I just wanted to make sure that I was able to fit in the group and be able to connect passes and things like that,” Joseph said Wednesday after training. “It was really nice to get the win.”

The quick turnaround offered a first glimpse of why the Royals invested heavily to bring Joseph to Utah.

Joseph played a role in the buildup to Utah’s second goal, combining with fellow substitute Paige Cronin before the Royals worked the ball into the box.

Head coach Jimmy Coenraets also saw flashes of what Joseph could add individually.

“I’ve seen a lot of one-on-one. I’ve seen the cheekiness in the box, being able to just drag people out, lure people out, and that’s definitely something we don’t have in that position,” Coenraets said. “So looking forward to seeing more of it.”

Choosing Utah

Joseph had options.

The Houston broadcast reported that as many as six clubs were interested in acquiring her, and Coenraets acknowledged Wednesday that Utah had competition for her signature.

“Being able to get a starter from an NWSL team isn’t easy for anybody in this league,” Coenraets said. “So that’s something we have to be proud of.”

Unlike when Chicago selected her 15th overall in the 2024 NWSL Draft, Joseph had a say in where she would play next.

The league’s current collective bargaining agreement, announced in August 2024, eliminated the draft and gave players the right to approve any trade or intraleague transfer.

“I obviously think it’s nice being able to have some type of say in your career and where you want to go next,” Joseph said.

What Utah is building, she said, made the decision easier.

“I think Utah was really fitting for me because of the style of play that they have,” Joseph said. “They really like to press, and I think I’m a player that can fit that.”

Coenraets was another major factor.

“He seems like he really cares about developing players, which is a really big thing for me,” Joseph said. “He’s made the transition pretty easy.

“He’s given me a lot of grace, and he’s allowing me to take my time and find my footing within the team and not put too much pressure on me or anything, which is really nice.”

Asked what ultimately pushed her toward Utah despite interest elsewhere, Joseph again pointed to development.

“I really want to get better and develop and become a great player,” she said. “So I felt like I could really do that here, with the right staff and the right players around me.”

A fit for Utah’s press

Utah has developed an identity under Coenraets built around vertical attacking play and an aggressive high press. Forward Cloé Lacasse recently called Utah’s pressure “one of the best presses in the league” and said the Royals have begun developing a reputation for it.

Joseph pressed that way in college, and continued doing so after entering the league.

Her first professional goal came during her rookie season against the San Diego Wave, and it began with her work without the ball. She pressured a defender, won possession and set up Mallory Swanson for a goal in the 67th minute. Two minutes later, Joseph chased down another defender, took the ball away, rounded the goalkeeper and scored herself.

She showed another tool in her arsenal in Chicago’s playoff loss to eventual champion Orlando later that season, driving at a defender, faking to her left and then unleashing a right-footed rocket to the near post.

The Royals believe there is still more to unlock.

“I think young and creative,” Coenraets said when asked what attracted him to Joseph. “With her, she still has a lot of growth. She still has a lot of development to do. So it’s basically just allowing her to express herself and then seeing how we can use those weapons.”

Joseph also gives Coenraets options across the front line.

Chicago used her centrally and out wide during her time with the club. Joseph said she doesn’t have a preference.

“Anywhere that I’m playing, I think I’m happy with,” she said. “I feel like I have qualities that can play the nine or out wide. So whatever the team needs, I can play.”

Building beyond 2026

Joseph arrives in Utah with seven goals and four assists in 63 regular-season appearances for Chicago.

She scored three times as a rookie in 2024 and added four goals and two assists in 2025. She scored once in 19 appearances for Chicago this season before the transfer, while playing in an attack that had scored a league-low 13 goals in 23 matches at the time of the deal.

Her development has also taken her into the U.S. women’s national team picture.

Joseph made her senior national team debut against Italy in November and earned her first start against Chile on Jan. 27. She marked the occasion with her first international goal, receiving the ball with a defender on her back at the top of the 18-yard box before turning and finishing with her left foot.

She has five senior U.S. appearances and one goal.

Before turning professional, Joseph played at North Carolina State from 2019-2023, where she scored 24 goals with 10 assists in 87 starts and earned All-ACC honors three times.

Utah’s investment is about more than the final stretch of this season.

Joseph’s guaranteed $750,000 transfer fee is the sixth-largest intraleague transfer in NWSL history, and incentives could push the total to $840,000. Chicago signed her to a contract extension last summer that runs through 2028 with a mutual option for 2029.

The Royals have also been locking up other pieces of their roster. Kaleigh Riehl signed an extension through 2027 with an option for 2028, while right-back Miyabi Moriya and Cloé Lacasse have both signed extensions through 2028.

Coenraets sees Joseph as another piece of the roster the Royals are trying to build.

“I think the club wants to win through development,” Coenraets said. “If you look at it and you put that on paper, I think you’re looking at a player that fits that profile, a player that you can still develop and that wants to win, has the experience in the league already for two years.”

And this time, Joseph got to decide where that development would continue.

“Pleased that she chose us above all the other teams,” Coenraets said. “It also says something about, obviously, what we’ve been doing now for two years.”