Alexander "Zander" Cruz Romero-Yakubik (born September 14, 2004) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for the USL Championship club Las Vegas Lights FC. Born in the United States, he represents El Salvador at youth level.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Alexander Cruz Romero-Yakubik | ||
| Date of birth | September 14, 2004 | ||
| Place of birth | Henderson, Nevada, U.S. | ||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Defensive midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Las Vegas Lights FC | ||
| Number | 77 | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2022– | Las Vegas Lights FC | 21 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2022 | El Savador U20 | 4 | (0) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of November 15, 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of June 18, 2024 | |||
Early life
editRomero was born in Henderson, Nevada, United States to a Salvadoran father and an American mother in 2004, and lived there until he joined the U.S. Soccer Development Academy in California in eighth grade.[1] He played in the academies of Minnesota United, Real Salt Lake, and Los Angeles FC during his youth career.[1]
He attended four high schools, and graduated from Bonita High School in La Verne, California.[1]
Club career
editLas Vegas Lights FC
editRomero was signed to the Las Vegas Lights FC USL Academy for the 2022 USL Championship season, and subsequently returned for the 2023 season.[2] He made professional debut as part of the Lights' roster on April 6, 2022. Lights assistant coach Enrique Duran described Romero as "very aggressive and a player with good technical ability. He has this energy".[1]
In the 2024 USL Championship season, Romero has had four appearances as a substitute, and 0 starts.[3]
International career
editRomero was called up to the El Salvador under-20 team in 2022 for the 2022 CONCACAF U-20 Championship, where he played in 4 games.[1][4]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e Brewer, Ray (2022-05-07). "Henderson native takes another step toward his soccer dreams with spot on Lights' roster". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved 2024-06-18.
- ^ "Las Vegas Lights FC signs six players to USL Academy contracts". SoccerWire. 2023-03-23. Retrieved 2024-06-18.
- ^ "Alexander Romero – Las Vegas Lights FC Midfielder". ESPN. Retrieved 2024-06-18.
- ^ "Listas finales anunciadas para el Campeonato Sub-20 de Concacaf 2022" (in Spanish). 2022-06-10. Retrieved 2024-06-18.