OREM, Utah — Pre-professional women’s soccer is coming to the Beehive State.
Utah United will launch an expansion team in the USL W League ahead of the 2025 season, joining second-year USL League Two side and a USL Academy side that launched earlier this year.
Similar to USL League Two, the W League is a pre-professional entity open to elite youth players, collegiate players, aspiring professionals and former professionals. Founded in 2022, the USL W League is effectively a quasi-third division of women’s soccer in the United States — underneath the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) and USL Super League professional leagues — with around 80 clubs divided into 10 divisions.
“Utah United is excited to introduce a new team to the W League right here in our community,” said Vess Pearson of the Utah United leadership group. “This area is celebrated for its amazing women’s soccer talent, and we’re eager to give local players a fantastic platform to showcase their skills. With standout talents from BYU, Utah Valley, and other local universities, we’re ready to compete at a high level right from day one.”
Utah United will be the first team from Utah to play in the Mountain division, alongside five clubs from Colorado. The team will play out of Clyde Field at Utah Valley University in Orem.
“We’re excited to bring elite pre-professional women’s soccer to the Wasatch Front, and provide an opportunity for top college athletes in and from Utah to play alongside high-level U-18 talent against the best collegiate players in the country,” said Matt Walbruch, general manager of Utah United who launched the club alongside team president Jerry Pennock and technical director Mark Davis.
Walbruch said the club will ideally launch a roster of 25 Division I players — with. no more than five from a single college, per league regulations — paired with around 10 academy players who will train day-in and day-out throughout the season, which runs from April through July.
Tryouts will be held Jan. 4 at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman. Interested prospects may register for tryouts here.
“Utah United is committed to fostering equality, excellence, passion, and competition in the sport by building men’s and women’s programs that improve the quality and opportunity for athletes in the state,” said Davis, head coach of Utah United’s USL League Two franchise who will also work as technical director of the women’s team.
“We are really excited to join the USL W League and showcase the talent that we have in Utah women’s soccer,” added Pennock. “We want to make a team that competes to win a national championship.”
Additional announcements related to coaching, staffing and roster updates will be made available on the club’s social media pages on Facebook, Instagram, X and Tik Tok, @utahuniteduslw.
About Utah United:
Founded in 2023, Utah United Academy is a preprofessional soccer club based in Utah County, Utah. Utah United competes in the USL League Two Mountain Division. Starting competitive play in 2024, the club aims to be competitive straight-away and bring championships to the state of Utah and Utah County.
Lead by head coach Mark Davis, Utah United is a community-focused club that features local players as well as players from across the globe.
About USL W League:
The USL W League is a leader in pre-professional soccer in North America, developing the next generation of women’s talent both on and off the field. The USL W League strives to use women’s soccer as a force for societal good by creating a national platform to increase opportunity, gender equity, and career development. The League and its member clubs are committed to investing in women’s soccer – through not only financial resources but also with time, energy, and attention – and are united in our mission to grow the women’s game.
The USL W League will serve as the nation’s premier pre-professional league developing the next generation of women’s talent both on and off the field, enhancing the women’s soccer pipeline between college and professional soccer.
For more information, visited uslwleague.com.
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