‘He represents a lot of Utahns’: Utah native Zach Booth makes first hometown start for Real Salt Lake

Zach Booth grew up watching Kyle Beckerman, Javier Morales, Nick Rimando and Fabian Espindola of Real Salt Lake. Young Booth would wait after games, trying to get players’ autographs.

Now it’s Booth playing on the Real Salt Lake field and giving autographs.

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The Eden, Utah native made his first home start for RSL in the club’s 2-1 win over the Seattle Sounders on Saturday.

When the public address announcer announced Booth’s name in the RSL starting lineup, it came full circle, his mother, Kelli Booth, told the Deseret News, saying the Booth family had been “RSL groupies for a long time.”

“It was a really cool moment to see it come full circle and think that this little boy who was waiting for autographs and players, now really, the experience for him, he’s on the opposite side,” she said.

Zach Booth’s journey to his departure for Real Salt Lake

As she watched her son play for the same team the family grew up rooting for, Kelli Booth’s thoughts turned to the people who helped her son’s dream come true.

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“I was thinking about all the people who pushed him to train. He owes a lot to his grandmother, his grandfather, his father and the mothers and parents of his friends,” she said.

Football was a way to keep her sons busy when they were young, she said, “because you want them to stay out of trouble.” On Saturday, she spotted two fans in the section to her left wearing her son’s name on the back of their jerseys.

“Then you have moments like this that you’ve only dreamed of and you almost don’t dare dream about them, and here we are,” she said.

Zach Booth grew up playing for Utah’s La Roca Futbol Club and later Real Salt Lake Academy for two seasons. Saturday, the Booths felt like a football family reunion with their phones blowing up with messages of support, and several family members, friends, former coaches and neighbors made the trip to America First Field for the game.

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“It was a dream to see him come back and play with his local club. He played in the Real systems, so he is made for this. We are delighted to see him back here,” said his father Chad Booth.

At the age of 16, Zach Booth moved to England to join Leicester City Football Club’s academy. He has spent the last five years performing in Europe, where his parents would travel to watch him and his older brother, Taylor Booth, play.

In January, Zach Booth joined RSL on loan from Excelsior Rotterdam in the Dutch Eredivisie. He started the RSL season in Vancouver, a 1-0 loss to the Whitecaps.

“It’s a dream come true for us. We love it. It’s easier than flying 10 hours to Europe to watch him play,” Chad Booth said.

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He added that RSL is a perfect fit for his son, who played 72 minutes on Saturday before being substituted.

The Booths: a couple of long-time RSL fans

Zach Booth’s wife, Kate Booth, also grew up as an RSL fan. His grandfather, Dean Howes, was a former general manager of the team.

“Growing up as an RSL fan, my grandfather Dean brought a big part of RSL to Utah State and I grew up loving that team, so to see him love it as much as I do is super cool,” she said.

Kate Booth plays football at Utah Valley and came straight from two UVU games in Provo to watch her husband play.

“It’s great to watch him. I love seeing how much fun he’s having, and it’s fun for me too,” she said.

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Before Saturday’s game, she said she and her husband treated it like any other game.

“But I knew there was something special, and I love all the support we were getting, and seeing him so excited to play for his hometown team was really, really awesome,” she said.

“He represents a lot of Utahns.”

RSL head coach Pablo Mastroeni explained how Zach Booth’s story can be an inspiration to young Utah soccer players.

“I think the good thing is Zach grew up here in Utah and then he left and then he came back,” Mastroeni said.

Mastroeni praised Booth’s performance on Saturday.

“He’s a wonderful player, and he made a great shift tonight. He plays for the team. I think he plays for the club, he plays for the state. He represents a lot of Utahns that come to the game, and I think it was obviously a very proud moment for him.”

Zach Booth wasn’t the only local player to make an impact Saturday. Aiden Hezarkhani, 18, scored the first goal of the match and of his career.

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Compatriots Zavier Gozo and Luca Moisa also started and made the difference in the victory.

Mastroeni noted that these players are not much older than some of the younger fans at the game.

“I think that’s where the magic starts when you’re young, when you start dreaming, and then you see your dream in the stadium come true,” he said.

“I think these guys are really shaking things up on how we can continue to have good soccer here in Utah, which I think already exists, but with the belief that one day I can represent RSL.”