Real Salt Lake signs two players to homegrown contracts

Real Salt Lake signed two players to homegrown contracts, the team announced Wednesday.

Midfielder Luis Arriaga and goalkeeper David Ochoa became the club’s 17th and 18th homegrown signings, and will join the team for the 2019 season.

“These are two players who we know very well from the RSL Academy,” RSL assistant general manager Elliott Fall said in a news release. “We believe that both Arriaga and Ochoa can join the group we have and continue to help build our club at the professional level. We’re excited to see two more players from our Academy who are able to make the leap to the professional game and contribute to our club.”

Arriaga, 17, played nine games for the academy team last season, scoring four goals. He arrived at the RSL Academy in 2015, and has tallied 55 goals since that time.

“I’m excited to get to work and contribute to this team and prove myself,” Arriaga said in the release.

Ochoa, also 17, played some for the Real Monarchs last season. He is currently playing with the U.S. under-20 national team that qualified for the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup.

“To sign for the first team means a lot to me, especially since I’ve been a part of the Academy for so long,” Ochoa said in the release. “I’m incredibly grateful for this opportunity to improve myself and my game with RSL and help the club succeed. I can’t wait to get to work.”