Daily News Youth Soccer Player of the Year, Birmingham's Daniel Romero. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Birmingham Charter boys soccer player Daniel Romero clearly remembers going to a Patriots soccer game when he was in the eighth grade.
“The atmosphere, the way people communicate, how they help each other, how they nurture each other, and being around people who are all striving for the same goal,” Romero recalled. “I've wanted one since I was little.”
Romero has fulfilled these characteristics over the past four years with the Birmingham soccer team. His sensitive leadership abilities and skill as a defender earned him numerous honors this season, including Daily News Youth Soccer Player of the Year.
Thirteen of Birmingham's 17 wins this season have come by shutout, with Romero anchoring the group at centre-back.
One of his happiest shutouts was a 2-0 win over El Camino Real in the CIF City Section Division I Championship.
This was the Patriots' second consecutive Division I title.
“It's been my plan since my first year here, to win back-to-back championships and get a double ring,” Romero said. “We remain City Champions and we held it here in Birmingham too. It will always belong here.”
Almost every season, Romero was offered a different position. He started as a midfielder during his freshman and sophomore years, moved to right back during his junior year, and eventually played center back during his senior year.
He said each position brought a new perspective, all the while allowing him to help teammates who were struggling or unsure of themselves. All this earned him respect.
“The way he's played definitely shows he's a leader,” Birmingham head coach Gus Villalobos said. “When it came time to pick the captain, everyone knew it was going to be Danny. He didn’t even have to bring it up.”
Villalobos is in his first season as head coach, replacing EB Mada, who coached Birmingham for 23 years and led the Patriots to five City Section championships.
The new head coach has been with the program as an assistant for several seasons and will use his experience as a professional player to improve team bonding in the form of group chats and make tweaks to the Patriots' style of play. , brought newness to the team. .
As a captain and a fourth-year player, Romero helped bridge the gap between the two head coaches.
“We all wanted the same goal this year, so we were trying to keep everyone in place and in the same circle like before,” he said. “We needed to communicate and be part of a family. Even though the switch happened, we maintained our rhythm and made it happen again.”
Romero will continue his playing career at Mission College with the goal of transferring to a four-year program. Although he has achieved success in the soccer world through his wins and awards, his sport's great rewards have been more intangible.
“This is like a safe place for me,” he said. “It helped my communication skills and my ability to work with and adapt to others. There's a lot going on in the world, but once you find something you're comfortable with, it's… It's something you always want to do. That's what soccer has given me.”
