Royals Sign Three Players To Replace Departing World Cup Stars
May 3, 2019, 5:06 PM
Silas Walker, Deseret News
SANDY, Utah – After sending three of its stars off to play in the Women’s World Cup, the Utah Royals have signed their replacements.
The team announced Friday the signing of Raisa Strom-Okimoto, Meghan Cox and Alexa Kimball to contracts for the duration of the 2019 World Cup in France.
The trio will replace Royals stars Kelley O’Hara, Becky Sauerbrunn and Christen Press, who were named to the U.S. World Cup squad earlier this week.
“These talented young players have been committed to our club the past few months and I’m happy that we get to give them the opportunity they deserve,” Utah Royals FC General Manager Stephanie Lee said in a press release.
#URFC sign 3️⃣ as National Team Replacements.
📝https://t.co/br9ebyYZFg pic.twitter.com/cdIIVHfBvV— Utah Royals FC (@UtahRoyalsFC) May 3, 2019
Strom-Okimoto joins the club following an impressive collegiate career at Hawaii where she was named the Big West Conference player of the year.
Kimball was selected with the 32nd overall pick by the Royals in the 2018 NWSL College Draft. She was a key member of one of women’s soccer’s best programs at the University of North Carolina.
Cox is the only one of the new acquired players to have some professional experience under her belt. She played sparingly for the Portland Thorns last season.
The Royals will host the Chicago Red Stars on Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Rio Tinto Stadium.
