Atlanta United U-17 goalkeeper Dagoberto Romero has been named the Academy Player of the Month for July.
Romero, who joined the club in 2016 as part of the Atlanta United's inaugural class of Academy players, was awarded the honor after a strong performance in the inaugural MLS NEXT season. He helped the U-17s to a playoff berth and a third-place finish in the Southeast Division standings.
“I think this is probably the biggest year he’s had in terms of development,” Academy Goalkeeper Coach Lewis Sharpe said.
Sharpe has worked with Romero at every level since U-13, helping him grow and compete with a strong pool of Academy keepers each year. This year, Sharpe not only saw growth in Romero’s play, but in his leadership ability as well.
“This year, he really stood up to the test and took a bit of ownership and he saw the results of that,” Sharpe said. “He had a really, really good year at the U-17 level. In [MLS NEXT] games he was consistently performing well.”
Romero has had the opportunity to train with Atlanta United 2 following the conclusion of the MLS NEXT season and is set to play with Atlanta United’s U-18 side next season.
“I think for him, this next year is another big year to really kick on and see where his future lies,” Sharpe said, “but I’ve been really happy with Dagoberto this past year.”
