Age: 24
Position: Goalkeeper
Key Stat: 8 starts in 2024 with NYCFC II
Tomás Romero, a player who mostly went under the radar in 2024, currently has the opportunity to grab the backup goalkeeper position following Luis Barraza’s offseason departure to DC United.
Consistently called up to the El Salvador national team, Romero didn’t feature once for the First Team in 2024, but he started eight matches for NYCFC II. That included four of their five US Open Cup games, which saw the Baby Blues become the MLS NEXT Pro side to make it the farthest in the competition. And he was in goal when New York City FC played their first preseason friendly last week.
Competition in goal
Romero is currently one of six goalkeepers that NYCFC included on their preseason roster. The list includes: Matt Freese, Alex Rando, Greg Ranjitsingh, Mac Learned, and Anthony Suarez in addition to Romero.
Learned is a trialist, and Suarez is an NYCFC Academy player. That essentially leaves Rando, Ranjitsingh, and Romero as the three goalkeepers vying to serve as Freese’s backup.
Comparing Romero’s resume to that of Rando’s and Ranjitsingh’s, it’s difficult to find his advantage. Rando is younger and has played more minutes for NYCFC II in MLS NEXT Pro. And it’s difficult to rationalize the signing of Ranjitsingh, a 31-year-old journeyman with nine Major League Soccer starts, if it’s not to become one of the team’s First Team backups to Freese.
Is there a chance?
All that being said, Romero has a shot. He has 24 MLS starts, including 18 for LAFC in 2018. He’s the team’s second-most experienced goalkeeper after Freese.
But Freese started all 34 regular season games, and played at an incredible level in the MLS Cup Playoffs: No matter who is the backup, he likely won’t see many minutes. But the season is long, and now that New York City will be back in the US Open Cup, there’s room for Romero to challenge Ranjitsingh for starts outside of league games.
Chances are that Romero will once again compete with Rando for NYCFC II appearances, similar to his role in 2024. Continue to expect his name to pop up every international window, and for him to get more minutes with El Salvador. But the planets will need to align if we’re going to see Romero in goal for the First Team.
