Charlotte FC made the announcement today that the club has signed Brian Carmona Romero to a homegrown contract that will last through the year 2026 and include an option for the year 2027.
Romero, then just 14 years old and already a youth international for the United States, moved up to the Charlotte FC program in 2020 from Charlotte Soccer Academy. He started out with the U-15 team and then moved on to the U-17 team. He has been an integral part of laying the groundwork for the growing academy that the Club is developing.
It is anticipated that Romero will play a significant part for Charlotte FC’s MLS NEXT Pro team during the debut season of the Club in the MLS NEXT Pro league.
His father, William, inspired him to develop a passion for the beautiful game while he was growing up in a Mexican family that lived in a modest trailer. As he was growing up, Brian spent the most of his weekends participating in the Hispanic leagues held at the Charlotte Soccer Academy. In these leagues, he typically competed against players who were far older than he was, which was a consistent pattern throughout his early career.
“Youth development is at the core of our Club philosophy, and it has long been our goal as a Club to develop the top talent in the Carolinas. This milestone is a testament to the hard work from everyone in the academy across talent identification, coaching, off-field education and beyond,” said Technical Director Bobby Belair. “As we continue to grow as a Club, we couldn’t be more excited to build on this moment for many years to come.”
Brian Romero’s goal as stated by his father is to eventually join the Spanish giants, FC Barcelona.