CARSON, Calif. –The LA Galaxy have signed defender Dave Romney to a new contract, CoG has learned.
Romney, who originally joined the Galaxy from their USL affiliate Galaxy II in August of 2015, was out of contract at the end of the 2018 season but was hopeful the Galaxy would bring him back.
His new deal will be for three years and reward the defender with a well-deserved raise. The MLS Players Union listed Romney’s compensation at just under $75,000 for the 2018 season. In 2019, CoG has learned, Romney will make nearly double that amount and put him slightly over that of central defense partner Dan Steres, who earned just over $132,000 last season.
Romney has made 72 appearances totaling almost 5,600 minutes since he joined the Galaxy. In his last two seasons with the club, he totaled three goals and four assists and played a significant role in the club’s late-season success in 2018.
Romney is a versatile defender capable of playing any position along the back line and has proven his partnership with Steres is one of the team’s best. And that was after the Galaxy spent more than a combined $1.6 million on central defenders Jorgen Skjelvik and Michael Ciani, only to see that pairing flop.
With the departure of left back Ashley Cole, Romney could be in prime position to capture that opening. Or, because of his versatility, he could keep his center-back role and Skejelvik could move to left back.
Romney was a relative unknown when he graduated from the University of San Francisco in 2014. He had earned multiple honors on the collegiate level and eventually found his way to Galaxy II. Midway through the 2015 season he was signed to a senior-team contract and has continued to earn more minutes and more starts since.
There are many defensive decisions to be made on a team that gave up 64 goals en route to finishing with the fifth-worst defense in Major League Soccer. But signing Romney to a new contract wasn’t much of an issue.
In a league that places restrictions on the amount of money teams spend because of a salary cap, the Galaxy needs budget-friendly players because of their top-heavy pay structure. And with Romney’s ability to play multiple positions, the Galaxy conceivably are getting four players for the price of one.
Romney was one of three players out of contract at the end of the 2018 season. Chris Pontius and Emmanuel Boateng also were seeking new deals but are expected to rejoin the club in 2019.
An official announcement of Romney’s signing is expected later this week.
