Taylor and Zach Booth (click to enlarge)

From the Valley to Real Salt Lake: The Booth Brothers Are Back Home
12 September 2026

Taylor and Zach Booth grew up kicking a soccer ball around Eden. They have played against each other in Europe and now, the brothers find themselves wearing the same jersey for the first time in their careers for Real Salt Lake.

There are certain things brothers never outgrow. Competition. Brotherly teasing and for Taylor and Zach Booth playing soccer in Utah.

Soccer has taken the brothers across the country, across the Atlantic and onto some of the biggest stages in the sport in Europe. And now this season, the Booth brothers find themselves doing something they probably imagined hundreds of times growing up: playing professionally for their hometown club; Real Salt Lake.

“It’s pretty surreal,” Taylor said. “We grew up watching RSL. We grew up dreaming about playing professional soccer. To both end up here at the same time is something you really couldn’t have planned.”

Long before there were professional contracts, European clubs, stadiums and thousands of fans, there were the Booth boys growing up playing soccer in the backyard, in the basement and at Eden Park.

“One my favorite games of my life was played on that pitch” Adds Taylor, "I think I was ten years old.

“When I pass the park, I can still picture us playing there.” Says Zach.

Their Mother, Kelli adds, “With four boys in the family, you can imagine that competition wasn’t exactly taught but was more of an informal family operating system. Everything would become a contest between them. But there was a gift in all that competition. Taylor and Zach learned early how to push each other without letting go of each other. That’s the great benefit of being brothers: they trust each other enough to challenge one another, compete hard enough to make each other better, and love each other enough to be genuinely happy when the other succeeds. We all need someone like that in life, someone who sees what we’re capable of, refuses to let us settle for less, cheers loudly when we succeed, and, every once in a while, reminds us that they are still absolutely convinced they could beat us to keep us humble.”

With four brothers, there was lots of competition in everything. There was obviously sports, school, who could get somewhere first. Who got the front seat, possibly the most competitive event of all. The biggest challenge Real Salt Lake may face this season is determining which Booth brother gets final editorial approval.
For the family, watching two sons chase the same dream on different teams and in different countries became normal. “European kickoff times, is how we would plan our weekends.” says their mom. Playing on the same professional team presents a unique situation. It streamlines things in a wonderful way. For the boys, they know each other’s game, their strengths and weaknesses. That last part can create some leverage.

“There are definitely stories I could tell,” Zach said. Taylor glanced at him.

“Be careful.”

“See?” Zach said. “That's fear.” They both laugh.

It’s the kind of exchange familiar to anyone who grew up with siblings. One minute they're talking seriously about soccer. The next, somebody is bringing up something that happened in the family basement in 2010.

Asked whether playing together makes them more or less competitive, there was a brief pause.

“More,” Zach said.

“Definitely more,” Taylor agreed.

Finally, consensus.

Underneath the banter, however, there is something genuinely meaningful about this chapter of their careers. Professional athletes spend much of their lives leaving. Leaving home for academies. Leaving friends for opportunities. Leaving one club for another. Coming back isn't guaranteed. Coming back together certainly isn't.

For Taylor and Zach, pulling on an RSL jersey represents more than another stop in their careers. It is a chance to play in front of people they know and love.

“You realize how many people helped you along the way,” Taylor said. “There were so many coaches, teammates and people in the community who supported us when we were young. Being back here makes you appreciate that.”

Zach agreed.

“There's something different about playing at home. You look into the stands and there are people you've known your whole life. With that comes a different kind of pressure.”

Of course, there is one question that cannot be avoided when interviewing two professional soccer-playing brothers. Who is better?

Kelli, says, “Everyone likes to ask which one is better, and I always say, “it depends on who is telling the story. If Taylor is, he will say he is. If Zach is the narrator, he will say he is.”

Taylor smiled. Zach smiled. Neither appeared willing to surrender an inch.

“We are different players, with different styles of play and will be playing different positions, I think people can decide for themselves,” Zach said diplomatically.

Taylor considered that.

“They can. They'll pick me.”

Zach smirks and shakes his head.

“This is what I've dealt with my entire life.”

Two brothers.

One soccer ball.

A little brotherly teasing.

And a shared dream.

Real Salt Lake (RSL) acquired 25-year-old midfielder Taylor Booth via loan from FC Twente (Dutch Eredivisie) for the remainder of the 2026 Major League Soccer season and the 2027 MLS Sprint Season, with an option to purchase.

Booth’s return also reunites him with his younger brother, Zach Booth, currently an attacker for RSL. The two Eden natives grew up playing for La Roca FC, represented the U.S. Under‑17 and Under‑19 national teams.
 
Taylor and Zach are the sons of Chad and Kelli Booth of Eden and grandsons of Dave and Linda Carver of Eden and Greg and Rita Booth of Huntsville.