Park City Red Wolves kick off soccer season in search of 3rd consecutive division title

The Park City Red Wolves. Photo: courtesy of the Park City Red Wolves

PARK CITY, Utah — The Park City Red Wolves of the United Soccer League’s League Two (USL2) began their 2023 season with a road match against their in-state rivals, Salt City SC of Herriman, on Saturday, May 27.

The Red Wolves were the 2021 and 2022 Mountain Division champions and are looking to secure a record third straight title this summer. The club’s first home match was held on Thursday, June 1 at Judge Memorial High School in Salt Lake City against Colorado International Soccer Academy. 

Upcoming Games:

Home matches are in bold. All home matches kick-off at 7:30 PM. 

Date                 Location                                  Opponent

June 10             Farmington, NM                      New Mexico United U23 (Albuquerque, NM)

June 17            Judge Memorial HS               Salt City Soccer Club (Herriman, UT)

June 22             Boulder, CO                             Boulder County United (Boulder, CO)

June 24             Parker, CO                                Colorado International Soccer Academy (Parker, CO)

June 29            Judge Memorial HS               Boulder County United (Boulder, CO)

July 1               Judge Memorial HS               Flatirons Rush Soccer Club (Arvada, CO)

June 8               Arvada, CO                               Flatirons Rush Soccer Club (Arvada, CO)

July 15             Judge Memorial HS               New Mexico United U23 (Albuquerque, NM)

The Park City Red Wolves are a pre-professional club operating within the Red Wolves Soccer organization, headquartered in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The organization is owned and chaired by Park City real estate developer, Bob Martino. The Red Wolves’ Utah Division is led by Scott Mackenzie, who directs the club’s youth academy and serves as the Red Wolves’ head coach.

Scott has worked with multiple high-level clubs in England, including Derby County FC and Chesterfield FC, as well as The Football Association (FA).

The Red Wolves’ 2023 roster features more than a dozen Utah-based college athletes, including:

·       Defender Andre Hoglin, whose hometown is Park City and who currently plays for St. Mary’s College of California.

·       Midfielder Kurt Lehmkuhl, who currently resides in Park City and who plays for Cornell University.

·       Forward Greyson Mercer, whose hometown is Heber City and who currently plays for Michigan State University.

International talents on the squad include Harry Jolley of England, Ryuya Miura of Japan, Jeffery St. Louis of Haiti, Samson Ahisu of Nigeria, Ryan Naidoo of South Africa, Santiago Delfino of Argentina, and Ricardo Joasilus of Turks and Caicos. Nearly half of the club’s 44 active players hail from outside the United States.

Regarding the upcoming season, returning goalkeeper, Jason Smith, who also plays for Syracuse University, told TownLift, “I’m looking forward to winning another championship. That’s always the goal and that’s what the standard is here.” He adds, “the chemistry on this team is great. We have a lot of returning guys from last year as well as some new faces. Everybody is starting to fit in and we are all really enjoying getting to know one another. The group this year is quite large, but there’s a lot of competition and we’re all really excited to get the season going.”

The 2023 USL2 season will feature 121 clubs from across the continental United States subdivided into 18 divisions and four conferences. The Park City Red Wolves are members of
the six-team Mountain Division of the Western Conference and will play a 10-match regular season featuring a home-and-home series against each of their division opponents.

The club with the best record at the conclusion of the regular season will advance to the Western Conference Semifinals and compete for the opportunity to play in the national semifinals in early August.