Transfer Tracker

Real Salt Lake sign Jude Wellings as homegrown player

TRANSFER TRACKER STATUS: Signing

Real Salt Lake have signed 15-year-old midfielder Jude Wellings as a homegrown player through the 2025 MLS season with an option for 2026, the club announced Monday.

Wellings is the first member of RSLā€™s 2021 U15 MLS NEXT Cup Championship squad to ink a professional contract.

ā€œIn his time with our academy, Jude has shown himself to be both an elite prospect on the pitch, as well as an incredibly mature young man off of it,ā€ RSL general manager Elliot Fall said in a release. "He has established himself as one of the top prospects in the country at his age. We couldnā€™t be more excited to have Jude and his family committed to beginning his professional career at RSL.ā€

Wellings has captained RSL at the U15 and U17 levels, earning Player of the Tournament honors at MLS NEXT Fest in December. He also featured twice for Real Monarchs in the USL Championship.

Last November, Wellings was called into US U-17 menā€™s national team camp.

ā€œExtremely grateful to have been given this opportunity by the club,ā€ Wellings said. ā€œItā€™s been a dream since I was a little kid to sign a professional contract and I couldnā€™t be more pleased that itā€™s with RSL. Every person at this club has been extremely helpful since I arrived and Iā€™m looking forward to more great things to come.ā€