Emilio Romero

Emilio Romero (born June 30, 1954) is an American retired soccer forward who played professionally in the North American Soccer League (NASL), American Soccer League (ASL), and the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL). He also represented the United States in 1976. Romero's coaching career included roles as player-coach for the Colorado Comets and assistant coach for the Colorado Rapids and Fort Lauderdale Strikers.

Playing career Romero played collegiate soccer at Metropolitan State University of Denver from 1974 to 1977, where he was the leading scorer in the nation for both NAIA and NCAA in 1977, a record that stood for 13 years. In 1976, he earned caps for the U.S. national team across two seasons.

In 1978, Romero began his professional career with the Minnesota Kicks in the NASL, appearing in 10 matches and scoring 2 goals. In 1979, he joined the Columbus Magic of the ASL, where he scored 25 goals in 20 appearances. In the 1981–1982 season, he was traded to the Kansas City Comets, playing 17 games and scoring 5 goals.

Coaching career Romero began his coaching career as player-coach for the Colorado Comets in the Southwest Professional League from 1984 to 1988. From 1989 to 1991, he was head coach of the Colorado Foxes in the American Professional Soccer League (APSL). Between 1992 and 1995, he coached the Fort Lauderdale Strikers and Miami Freedom in the APSL. On February 1, 1996, Romero was hired as an assistant coach for the Colorado Rapids in Major League Soccer (MLS).

Additionally, Romero ran the Emilio Romero Professional Soccer Camps from 1974 to 1989, contributing to youth soccer development in Colorado.

Honors

Colorado Youth Soccer Hall of Fame Metropolitan State University of Denver Athletics Hall of Fame