First-year RSL attacker Ricardo Velazco came up through the Real Salt Lake-Arizona academy under current Real Monarchs manager Freddy Juarez from 2010-2012.
Velazco would go on to spend the next three years playing college soccer with Cal State Bernardino and the University of Louisville. With Louisville, he would earn multiple accolades: First-team All Conference and First Team All-Midwest region. In his two seasons in Kentucky, he tallied 13 goals and 14 assists in 42 matches while teaming up with fellow RSL-AZ product Andrew Brody.
After his junior season, Velazco signed with Real Monarchs for their inaugural season in 2015.