One of the big off-season pickups for the New England Revolution was Dave Romney. The defender has slotted straight in alongside Henry Kessler and has played a key role for Bruce Arena. Here is what he had to say about the season so far, his roots in the game, his pre-match meal and much more in an exclusive interview with Last Word on Soccer.
An In-Depth Interview with Dave Romney
From LA to Nashville to New England
Dave Romney began his career in LA with the Galaxy where he crossed paths with current manager Bruce Arena. When it comes to making the recent move to New England, it was the experience Arena who played a major role in it all. “He [Bruce] was the pinnacle of it, he made the move and traded for me. He was definitely a big part of it.”
When it comes to the more general perspective of his move over from Nashville, Romney like others, had a number of options on the table. “There were other options but it was tough to pass this one up. I’ve got a bunch of connections here and I’ve always heard amazing things about Boston.” On his new home, “My wife and I are really excited to explore Boston more and we’ve got twins on the way so it should be exciting.”
Sources confirm: The New England Revolution have agreed a deal to sign center back Dave Romney from Nashville SC.
Source adds the deal is for $525k GAM.
Romney, 29, was a constant with NSC for three seasons, starting 86 of a possible 90 matches. NSC made the playoffs each year. https://t.co/GFS8ZIooJd pic.twitter.com/d4Xwc4JVQ5
— Tom Bogert (@tombogert) January 5, 2023
LA was where it all began for Dave Romney both in life and in the sport. Despite the fact that his “parents growing up in the 60s and 70s had zero soccer experience or knowledge”, he eventually gravitated towards it. He then achieved his dreams with that famous club. “My best friend had a season ticket so they used to always take me to games so for them to still have their season tickets and go to some games (that Romney played in) was a full circle moment.”
Looking at the more narrow picture of this season so far and the 29-year-old is happy with how it has all begun with the Revolution. “It’s a really good locker room. No divas or anything like that so it’s been really easy to settle in. Everywhere I’ve been in the league has had really good locker rooms, not really any arseholes so yeh it’s been easy to be friends with them this early, get used to each other’s habits on the field, communication and stuff like that.”
Read More: Will Andrew Farrell Return to the Backline as the Revs Host CF Montreal?
Dave Romney and His Life Away From the Field
Romney was spotted in a recent press conference sporting a Daniel Ricciardo McLaren hoodie, showcasing his love for Formula 1. Like many others, “Watching Drive to Survive is definitely what sparked my interest, I ended up starting a fantasy league with some friends.”
The centre-back went on to sound out who he enjoys watching in the current climate. “I wouldn’t say I have a favourite team, but drivers I like are Lewis [Hamilton], Lando [Norris], [Charles] Leclerc, Danny Ric until he was bounced, there aren’t a lot of drivers I dislike. I’m not the biggest Red Bull fan though.”
Football is obviously another sport close to his heart and a couple of names familiar to fans of Major League Soccer paved the way for Dave Romney. “Growing up my favourite player was usually [Wayne] Rooney and I love Gerrard too so it was an absolute blessing to play with him.” Another Premier League legend who he played alongside on the West Coast was Ashley Cole, whom he described as “the consummate professional, amazing teammate, a really good guy and a phenomenal left back”. He went on to say that he “learnt an immense amount from him.”
Asked Dave Romney about Giacomo Vrioni and F1 #NERevs pic.twitter.com/TFe3q7863m
— Sam Minton (@Sam_Minton22) March 16, 2023
Romney is still on the hunt for a good place for pre-match meals so if any New England residents have any suggestions, you should hit him up. “For home games I always get the same thing but I’m still trying to find a good place here. In Nashville it was this Thai place, in LA it was a Mediterranean place where I got a shawarma plate, lots of rice and when I lived in Orange County it was this Indian place.”
The Revolution as a whole have made a strong start to 2023 and Dave Romney has played a major role in that. In his own words, “it’s super early in the season, me and Kess [Henry Kessler] have played 6 or so games together now, more if you include pre-season, but yeh it’s definitely a strong start and can only get better.” Even with Andrew Farrell returning to the fold, the former Nashville man has a huge role to play this season.
Click here to read another exclusive interview, this one was with midfielder Matt Polster.
Featured image credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports, taken on April 1, 2023.
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