World Cup fever in America: Here’s what it means for Real Salt Lake, Utah Royals FC

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USA fan Sam Midget, from Layton, center, and others cheer after USA scores during the 2026 FIFA World Cup round of 32 soccer match between USA and Bosnia and Herzegovina at the America First Field in Sandy on Wednesday, July 1, 2026. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News

Steve Starks sat with his 12-year-old daughter in Seattle’s Lumen Field and watched the United States men’s national soccer team battle Australia in its second match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

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Starks, the CEO of the Larry H. Miller Company and the alternate governor for Utah Royals FC, and his daughter had arrived to the stadium three hours before kickoff.

“The pageantry and the buildup to the game was — it was unlike anything I’ve ever been to, and given my background, I’ve been to a lot of sporting events,” Starks told the Deseret News last week from the Larry H. Miller Company office building.

The experience even received his daughter’s stamp of approval. She called it the “toughest sporting event” she had ever been to, which, according to Starks, “is slang for really great.”

“It was joyful, it was patriotic, it was America and flyovers with jets and flags,” Starks said. “It was 65,000 people singing ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ in unison. It was singing John Denver after the game was over. It was USA kits, and it was one of the better experiences I’ve had at a sporting event.”

Steve Starks, the CEO of the Larry H. Miller Company and the alternate governor for Utah Royals FC, poses with his daughter for a picture while in Seattle at the U.S.'s 2026 World Cup group stage match against Australia. | Steve Starks

Steve Miller, the chairman of the board of directors and the governor of Real Salt Lake and Utah Royals FC, had his own World Cup moment this summer at a gas station in Canada.

Miller was pumping gas into his truck on a street lined with pubs, where Canadians were watching one of their country’s World Cup games.

“Canada scored a goal, and the entire street erupted in applause and cheers and beer throwing,” he said.

Miller served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Canada and knew “how enthusiastic (Canadians) were about hockey.”

“But I didn’t realize that it was going to be that energetic,” he said. “So I went from just putting fuel in my truck to this kind of jolt of electricity, and I literally smiled from ear to ear and just kind of soaked in the moment. It was really fun to witness that kind of energy.”

Both experiences excited Miller and Starks for what the 2026 World Cup means for their soccer teams.

“I think one of the things it did for me is it just confirmed that soccer is the world’s game and America’s falling in love with the sport, and it’s increasingly becoming America’s sport as well,” Starks said.

World Cup fever translating to RSL and Royals

USA fan Nick Paganelli celebrates after USA wins the 2026 FIFA World Cup round of 32 soccer match between USA and Bosnia and Herzegovina at the America First Field in Sandy on Wednesday, July 1, 2026. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News

Utah soccer fans couldn’t watch World Cup soccer being played on the pitch at America First Field, but the Millers had an alternative for fans.

The organization hosted watch parties for U.S. and Mexico matches on the stadium’s plaza, which saw a total attendance of 90,000 fans, according to Starks, who described the experience as a festival.

“I think what got me most excited is that this momentum that’s been created by the World Cup being here in America will continue on and build on the momentum that Major League Soccer and the NWSL already have,” Starks said. “Millions of fans are experiencing that type of joyfulness and the power of soccer for the first time. So we’re excited to see that momentum continue on Saturdays at the pitch across the street at America First Field.”

With the World Cup final less than a week away, MLS is looking to capitalize on the soccer fervor created by the World Cup with the launch of a new leaguewide marketing campaign on Monday with the tagline, “Thanks World, We’ll Take It From Here,” featuring some of its stars who played at this World Cup.

Each club then released its own version of the video.

The Miller organization wants to introduce those same Utah fans falling in love with soccer for the first time through the World Cup to its local clubs.

A mix of hard-core and new soccer fans gathered at the organization’s World Cup watch parties, according to Miller.

“I think that casual fan, many of them will convert to coming to (Royals and Real) matches, and then once they’ve come, I think they’ll share it with others,” he said.

USA fan Cece McDonald, 10, center, and others cheer during the 2026 FIFA World Cup round of 32 soccer match between USA and Bosnia and Herzegovina at the America First Field in Sandy on Wednesday, July 1, 2026. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News

Starks believes the soccer excitement that’s taken over the U.S. will continue beyond the global tournament.

“I think it’s a continuation of what started, and youth participation rates continue to increase with soccer,” he said. “I believe that it’s already the highest participation sport for kids and youth in Utah and across the country, and I think that America, again, is falling in love with the sport.”

Real Salt Lake’s Diego Luna and Zavier Gozo narrowly missed out on representing the U.S. this summer, but Juan Manuel “JuanMa” Sanabria was one of a record 45 MLS players to make a World Cup roster this year. Other MLS players include Argentina’s Lionel Messi and South Korea’s Son Heung-min.

“The strength of MLS continues to improve,” Starks said. “We continue to attract the world’s best stars to the league. Attendance is up, the number of teams has grown, and I think it just keeps getting better and better.”

The U.S. hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup introduced casual American sports fans to soccer, but it also introduced international players to the United States and MLS.

“I think that the international players will see how much this country loves soccer and how fun it is to play here,” Starks said. “That’s going to leave a really strong impression in the minds of the 48 teams that competed here, but also their fans that traveled. I think they’ll see that America is a soccer nation. … The quality of play from those 45 (MLS) players has been significant, and that gives added credibility to soccer in America and Major League Soccer in particular.”

Commitment to competitiveness

USA fans cheer after USA scores during the 2026 FIFA World Cup round of 32 soccer match between USA and Bosnia and Herzegovina at the America First Field in Sandy on Wednesday, July 1, 2026. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News

Midway through the MLS and NWSL seasons, the Millers find both of their teams with competitive records. Real Salt Lake sits third in the MLS’s Western Conference and the Royals sit fifth in the NWSL.

When the Millers purchased Real Salt Lake and Utah Royals FC, they committed to compete at the “highest level” and “build championship-caliber teams,” Starks said. A year into ownership, they’re learning to balance that with the transfer-heavy nature of soccer.

Real’s stars Gozo and Luna both have garnered the interest of European clubs and have expressed a desire to make the jump abroad to play in the sport’s most prestigious leagues.

In May, Gozo told the Deseret News that his goal was to play in the Champions League and that he was ready to leave as early as this summer transfer window, which opened in June.

“I want to play in the biggest competitions and play for the best leagues,” he said.

Starks emphasized that the organization’s priorities are to compete and win but it recognizes that “transactions are part of the sport.”

“If we have the opportunity, as one example, to keep a player to finish a year, we want to prioritize winning and continuity and then see that transfer take place, if it has to happen, after the end of the season,” he said. “It’s not in our nature to compromise the competitiveness of the team midseason for a transfer fee if we can push that off.”

The organization wants “to honor” a player’s request to go to Europe, but, Starks said, it doesn’t “ever want the transactional nature to compromise our ability to compete.”

“We want to be a place where people come and get better and they can go on and fulfill their dreams and then come back at some point,” he said. “But we absolutely prioritize winning and competitiveness, even though it’s a much higher transaction sport.”

USA fans Peter Phippen, center left, and daughter Tabitha Phippen, 11, center right, stand during halftime of the 2026 FIFA World Cup round of 32 soccer match between USA and Bosnia and Herzegovina at the America First Field in Sandy on Wednesday, July 1, 2026. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News

Though still new to soccer ownership, “there’s already some things that have become apparent” to the owners, Starks said, like finding a balance between the sport’s transactional nature and the club’s desire to be competitive.

“It’s too important to our fans to fall in love with a player and have a ton of momentum and then go on to a break and then sell that player and then it really hurts the team through the second half,” he said. “Let’s give our team, let’s give our organization, let’s give our community every chance to compete for titles. And then we can figure out the transactions at the right point, working with the player, their agent, other clubs.”

Starks said “good things follow” when prioritizing winning and competitiveness.

Falling in love with women’s soccer, Utah Royals FC

For its final match before the June break, Utah Royals FC hosted its new Rocky Mountain neighbor Denver Summit FC in the first edition of the Continental Divide rivalry. Over 19,000 fans filled America First Field for the match.

“That was, to me, a moment that we’ll always remember that the Utah Royals are arriving,” Starks said. “There is so much opportunity ahead to introduce the Royals to this community, and it’s building. And I anticipate that Utah will continue to become a soccer market and will continue to fall in love with that team in particular.”

Utah Royals players Alex Loera, Nuria Rábano and Kiana Palacios join other soccer fans gathered at Millcreek Common to watch Mexico and Czech Republic play in the World Cup on Wednesday, June 24, 2026. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News

Since the Miller organization purchased Real Salt Lake and Utah Royals FC last year, both Miller and Starks have quickly fallen in love with women’s soccer and the Royals.

“I’m smiling because I had no idea how much fun it was going to be involved with professional women’s sports, particularly in the form of soccer,” Miller said. “I go to those games, and I’m like a kid in a candy store. I just can’t wait for them. The energy is so good, and the product that’s on the field is — it’s like art. I don’t know how to describe it, but I look forward to those games unlike very few sporting events that I attend.”

Utah lost its last two matches and dropped to fifth place in the NWSL after going into the midseason break with a 10-week unbeaten streak and in second place in the league.

“The play is speaking for itself, which keeps people coming back,” Starks said. “But we want to have a great experience when people do come to matches, and I think they’ll keep coming back is what we’re seeing with the data, once they come experience it once.”

The organization then expects those fans to spread the word about their Royals experience and grow the team’s swarm, according to Miller.

“I think it’s not that they’ll just keep coming back, but I think that they will introduce their friends and neighbors because of how much fun it is. It’s super affordable, and it’s exciting,” he said.

The visibility and accessibility of Royals players also opens the door to inspire a new generation of fans and players. After Royals matches, players make their way around the pitch to sign autographs.

“Our players are tremendous examples, and I admire them because they’re not too big for it,” Starks said. “They love to see the support come out. It really means a lot to them and they give back.”

Royals players attended the World Cup watch parties, where they met fans and signed autographs. The decision to put the Royals players out in front of fans during a men’s World Cup was “very” intentional, according to Starks.

“We all want to be like our heroes,” he said. “So, the more that kids in this state and young girls see those Royals players, I think it’s inspiring.”

Starks recalled when captain Paige Cronin met with his assistant’s youth girls soccer team at the Denver match.

“Paige was hurt that match, but Paige sat and she talked to their whole team about what it meant to be a team, how to compete, how to be great,” Starks said. “And those girls will never forget that experience that they had with the team captain.”

Ownership lessons

Fifteen months into ownership, Starks said the Miller family is approaching their roles as professional soccer team owners “with a lot of humility,” but they know that “wise investments” and “world-class culture” pay off.

Miller added that the organization is taking a “stand-walk-run approach.”

“We know we don’t know what we don’t know, but we’re going to learn it over time,” he said. “We’re not going to try and learn it all at once, but we’re going to learn it at a pace that is meaningful, that can affect change. We’re not going to change things for the sake of change. We’re going to be diligent and disciplined, process-driven.”

Starks acknowledged they have a valuable resource in minority owner David Blitzer, who not only has experience with both Real and the Royals but also in international soccer with his holdings in the English Premier League club Crystal Palace F.C. and the Germany club FC Augsburg.

“We have a tremendous partner in David Blitzer, who built a great foundation, and so we’re in regular contact with them,” he said. “We strategize with them. They’re incredibly supportive. They love the teams as well, and so we’re united in that investment.”

‘A heavy dose of soccer’

Though the World Cup is winding down, plenty of soccer awaits Utah fans over the next year.

The Utah Royals already returned to play on July 5 and will host another home match on Saturday against Orlando Pride. On Wednesday, Real Salt Lake hosted EFL Championship’s Burnley FC in an exhibition match, which ended in a 4-1 Real win, before its MLS season resumes on July 22.

Then in 2027, MLS will have its abbreviated 14-game sprint season starting in February before switching to the European calendar in the summer.

On the women’s side, the NWSL will pause during the summer of 2027 for the Women’s World Cup, which will likely feature several Royals players on international rosters.

“There’s going to be a lot of soccer over the next 12 months,” Starks said. “So our fans are going to have a heavy dose of soccer ... to build on this momentum.”

In the near future, the Millers will also reveal some of the plans to renovate America First Field and enhance the match-day experience. Starks said the stadium is “only going to get better through this renovation.”

“I give the Miller family a lot of credit,” he said. “They’re investing in the sport. We’re investing in our teams, we’re investing in sporting infrastructure to compete at the highest level, and we’re investing in the experience for the match day.”

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