Real Salt Lake apologizes for overlooking Kealia Watt
Real Salt Lake apologized after NFL star JJ Watt publicly called out the MLS club for welcoming him by name while leaving out his wife, Kealia Watt, a former NWSL player and Utah soccer standout who grew up near Salt Lake City.
Key Takeaways
- Real Salt Lake welcomed JJ Watt and family on social media without naming Kealia Watt.
- Watt replied that her Utah and pro soccer resume was “probably worth a mention.”
- The club apologized for an “honest mistake” and posted a career bio within hours.
- Kealia Watt played eight NWSL seasons and co-owns English club Burnley with her husband.
The episode unfolded after the Watts attended Real Salt Lake's exhibition against Burnley, a club in which they hold a minority stake. Coverage across sports media, including updates tracked in our Future Tech & AI Wonders feed, quickly amplified Watt's reply.
What did Real Salt Lake's social post say?
According to reporting from Fox News, Real Salt Lake posted a welcome that tagged the former NFL star while referring to the rest of the party only as “fam.”
Yahoo Sports reported the club greeted JJ Watt and former NWSL player Kealia Watt at the game Wednesday—but not necessarily by name for her—despite her professional soccer career and local roots in the Draper area.
Why did JJ Watt call out the club?
Watt replied that the woman in the photo grew up “literally down the road,” won four Utah state championships including one in that stadium, earned Gatorade Player of the Year twice and National Player of the Year, and scored the fastest first goal in USWNT history—adding it “could probably be worth a mention.”
Fox News noted she attended Alta High School in nearby Sandy, won a national championship at North Carolina, was the second overall pick in the NWSL College Draft by the Houston Dash, captained that team from 2016 until a 2020 trade to the Chicago Red Stars, and later worked as an Amazon Prime Video analyst.
How did Real Salt Lake respond?
About four hours after Watt's reply, Real Salt Lake apologized for the “honest mistake” and shared a two-paragraph bio of Kealia Watt's career, Yahoo Sports reported. That resume includes four Utah state titles in high school, a national title at North Carolina, and eight NWSL seasons with Houston and Chicago.
Real Salt Lake defeated Burnley 4-1 in the exhibition match. The couple purchased its Burnley stake in 2023, per Fox News.