As world football’s biggest and most prestigious tournament, the FIFA World Cup, reaches it’s grand conclusion, pretty much every fan in the world has their eyes firmly fixed on the action taking place in the United States.
In the background, however, MLS clubs are also hard at work. Unlike the European football calendar, the MLS season runs from late February to mid-December, a schedule more in line with other popular American sports. The league scheduled a mid-season break this year, in order to accommodate the summer’s World Cup.
With regular league action set to resume right after Sunday’s World Cup final, several teams have decided to take part in a few friendly games to get back up to speed. On Wednesday, Real Salt Lake faced off against Burnley, who are getting ready for another year in the Championship, having been relegated from the Premier League last season.
Burnley are co-owned by JJ Watt, who enjoys superstar status in the United States due to his stellar stint in the NFL. In a career spanning 12 years, Watt cemented himself as a household name, earning three AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards.
Watt and his family were in attendance on Wednesday, as his team took on Real Salt Lake at the America First Field in Sandy, Utah. In the buildup to the fixture, Real Salt Lake’s official X account acknowledged the NFL legend’s presence by dedicating a post to him.
Welcome to the Riot, @JJWatt and fam 🤩 pic.twitter.com/gv1XtrJ5zl
— Real Salt Lake (@realsaltlake) July 16, 2026
What looked like a standard welcome message soon became a controversial issue, however, as JJ Watt seemed to take offence to the fact that the post made no mention of his wife, Kealia’s achievements.
The woman in the photo grew up literally down the road, won 4 Utah state championships (1 in this exact stadium), Gatorade Player of the Year twice, National Player of the Year, scored the fastest first goal in USWNT history…
— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) July 16, 2026
Could probably be worth a mention, but idk. https://t.co/ZJem8Nt9vo
Just like her husband, Kealia Watt is also an elite athlete. She spent eight seasons in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), the highest level of women’s football in the United States, while also being a mainstay for the United States women’s soccer team, which is one of the best in the world alongside the likes of Spain and Germany.
JJ Watt’s post calling out Real Salt Lake quickly went viral, accumulating over 116,000 likes, over 5,000 reposts and over 1,600 comments as of writing.
Several fans shared Watt’s frustrations, and called out the MLS club for being sexist.
this is honestly unbelievable. @realsaltlake with one of the most blatantly sexist moves I’ve seen. shameful pic.twitter.com/mqqNUxQqmC
— christie kanani (@ckanani) July 16, 2026
Soon after JJ Watt’s post, Real Salt Lake acknowledged their error, expressing sincere apologies for the oversight and giving Kealia Watt her flowers.
It appears JJ Watt also duly accepted the apology, as he later re-shared the post dedicated to his wife.
