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Sandy • Meet the Monarchs. Officially, Real Monarchs SLC, but that's merely semantics. The USL Pro franchise will become official Monday morning in an announcement solidifying the minor-league club under Real Salt Lake's umbrella in anticipating for the inclusion in USL Pro next March.

The club's given name will be Real Monarchs SLC as the team had to meet USL Pro standards to include a geographical qualifier, but will be commonly referred to as the Monarchs. The Tribune spoke with Monarchs president Rob Zarkos Saturday evening prior to Leg 1 of the 2014 Western Conference semifinal between RSL and the L.A. Galaxy at Rio Tinto Stadium about where the club stands as it continues to add pieces to its puzzle.

The Monarchs will play a 14-game schedule at Rio Tinto Stadium starting in 2015 and as Zarkos explained, will likely stay in Sandy through 2016 as kinks continued to be worked out regarding the potential future home of the Monarchs at the Utah State Fairpark. Zarkos said the club has been working with the attorney general's office on penning a handwritten lease, but added the details must be hammered out and the lease must be signed by all parties before Dec. 31.

"We still need the legislature to vote on it," Zarkos said, "but we're getting a lot of support from the agencies and populace, as well. It's looking really good."

The Utah State Fairpark Corporation's lease on the Fairpark grounds expires in June 2017, but upgrades to facilities within the park remain necessary for the longevity of the venue. The landmark deal RSL owner Dell Loy Hansen proposed in September is a large step in the Fairpark's long-term outlook. The legislature likely won't finalize a vote until February or March, which leaves the Monarchs at Rio Tinto likely through 2016 as the potential $18 million stadium remains in works.

Monday signifies the club's first official day of business. Season tickets will go on sale for the start of the 2015 campaign, expected to start in March. Moreover, other avenues of the club continue to be ironed out, so here is quick-hit list of what Zarkos was asked and covered:

» Player personnel/coaching staff • Zarkos expects to announce the coaching staff no later than early December, but potentially as early as Nov. 15. In terms of the roster, Zarkos expects at least a sliver of the club's spots to be official by late February or early March. The new Collective Bargaining Agreement will certainly affect how USL Pro clubs owned by MLS franchises deal with contracts, which likely pushes back the window of possibly-signed players a bit further.

» Jerseys/sponsorship • RSL is tied to Adidas, so expect the Monarchs to follow suit with its parent club when it comes to producing the on-field look. Zarkos said the club has a sponsor lined up and is expected to nail that down by the end of this year. A sneak peak: Claret up top will be offset with cobalt shots.

» 2015 schedule, and beyond • It will obviously be contingent on RSL's 2015 slate and how the two teams co-exist in Sandy. The Monarchs will have to piggyback off the release of the 2015 MLS schedule — which likely will come at latest before Christmas — and within a week of that, USL Pro could have its layout down. Ideally, the Monarchs will be able to play on Saturdays when RSL is on the road. Zarkos said it is likely the club will pick up 3-to-4 mid-week matches.

» Initial ticket prices • The average ticket price to a Monarchs home match will be less than $11 — the club will certainly have more specifics Monday and as the weeks and months wear on. There is expected to be five varying price tranches, Zarkos said. Not surprisingly, RSL season-ticket holders will receive special prices for season-ticket packages to the Monarchs.

» Logo • The Monarchs will not have a giant "R" on their crest. The shield will be a mix of claret, cobalt and yellow, with a yellow lion in the center and two diagonal swords and topped with a crown.

One of the more interesting things brought up in the conversation was Zarkos saying the Monarchs are expected to hold a Utah-specific tryout competition to sign a player to the minor-league contract.

"We're going to have a tryout and sign one person and they're going to make the team," he said. "Our goal is to start developing locally, right? And then to build that into our academy, the USL Pro team and all the way up to real."

Expect more news from the Monarchs and RSL in the coming weeks and months as the now-official minor-league team makes additions in preparation for its inaugural season.

-Chris Kamrani

Twitter: @chriskamrani