It’s an impossibly low number, even if it’s only been eight games. But compared to the rest of the National Women’s Soccer League, the Utah Royals’ “5” stands out.
No other team is close to Laura Harvey’s in terms of their lack of goals allowed. Considering most new teams focus their efforts at the back, first, there seems little question about the Royals’ progress. Eight games into their existence, the league’s newest team has fully accomplished job number one.
That success provides some early, perhaps needed context for the club, one that looked very much like an expansion side when they hosted Portland Thorns FC four weeks ago.