Columbus Crew acquire GK Abraham Romero from LAFC for $50,000 in general allocation money
On the last day of the MLS secondary transfer window being open, the Crew have made a trade for Los Angeles FC goalkeeper Abraham Romero in exchange for $50,000 general allocation money. Romero's contract runs through 2024, with a club option for 2025.
Romero has spent most of his 2024 season playing for LAFC's MLS NEXT Pro team LAFC2 but has made three appearances for the first team during the Leagues Cup and U.S. Open Cup tournament.
In those three games, the 26-year-old has given up three goals while making two saves. On the MLS NEXT Pro level, Romero has made 21 starts for LAFC2 across two seasons, recording 53 saves and 35 conceded goals.
Prior to joining Los Angeles' organization, Romero played in the United Soccer League for Orange County SC and the Las Vegas Lights. Romero's youth career included time with CF Pachuca's and Los Angeles Galaxy's academy teams, as well as playing international for Mexico in the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup.
"Abraham (Romero) is a great addition to our team and our strong group of goalkeepers as we approach the final stretch of the season,” Crew general manager Issa Tall said via statement. “He has gained good experience in MLS and Mexico."
The Crew's goalkeeper lineup took a blow in April when veteran Evan Bush suffered a broken arm injury when making a start against Real Salt Lake. Scheduled to return by the beginning of July, Bush rebroke his arm while training and required another surgery. There is no set timeline for Bush's recovery.
Although the Crew has relied on Patrick Schulte for the majority of the season, goalkeeper Nicholas Hagen has been the starter for nearly the past month with Schulte playing for Team USA in the Paris Olympics. Hagen has started in both Columbus' Leagues Cup games despite Schulte returning last week.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Crew trades for goalkeeper Abraham Romero from Los Angeles FC
