Utah Royals FC Make Trade With San Diego Wave FC
Dec 17, 2023, 6:44 PM | Updated: 6:54 pm
SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah Royals FC club announced that recently acquired Elyse Bennett has been traded to San Diego Wave FC.
Royals trade Elyse Bennett to Wave FC
The Beehive State’s NWSL team shared news of the transaction on Sunday, December 17.
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“Utah Royals FC today finalized the destination of former OL Reign FW Elyse Bennett, sending Friday’s expansion selection to San Diego Wave FC in exchange for $40,000 in Allocation Money,” the Royals said in a statement.
We have traded Elyse Bennett to @sandiegowavefc in exchange for $40K in Allocation Money
— Utah Royals (@UtahRoyalsFC) December 17, 2023
Bennett was acquired by the Royals two days before getting traded to San Diego.
“During an early timeout in Friday’s NWSL Expansion Draft, Utah’s first expansion selection and second overall following Bay FC’s pick, Utah Royals FC discussed with both Bennett and San Diego a potential transaction for the 23-year-old striker entering her third NWSL campaign,” the Royals explained.
Before her professional career, Bennett was a standout player at Washington State. In 2022, the new Wave FC FW was drafted by the Kansas City Currents with the No. 7 overall pick. After her rookie campaign, Bennett played for the OL Reign in 2023. Bennett has recorded five goals in 46 career games.
With the 2nd pick, we have selected @elyse_bennett99 from OL Reign! pic.twitter.com/HjEVwqA1cI
— Utah Royals (@UtahRoyalsFC) December 16, 2023
About Utah Royals FC
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The Royals announced the club’s return to the Utah and the National Women’s Soccer League for the 2024 season on March 11.
Originally founded in November 2017, the Royals played in Utah from 2018-20. The franchise was moved to Kansas City in 2020 and plays in Missouri under the “Currents” nickname.
The Royals were first established in Sandy, Utah as an NWSL expansion club. The team played as the Royals for three seasons and held its home matches at America First Field, formerly known as Rio Tinto Stadium, which was also the home of Major League Soccer’s Real Salt Lake.
In December 2020, the NWSL announced that the Royals would cease to operate in Utah and the club’s players were transferred to Kansas City.
In January 2022, a new Real Salt Lake ownership group, led by David Blitzer and Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith, took hold of the option to bring an NWSL club back to the state.
12 teams currently compete in the NWSL. The Royals return to NWSL play in the 2024 season.
Kyle Ireland is a Sports Producer and Locals in the NFL Insider for sports.ksl.com. He’s also co-host of the Yards After College Podcast. Follow him on Threads (@kyleirelandksl), Instagram (@kyleirelandksl). and X (@kyleireland).
