Roman Playing in Portugal, Diaz Signs With El Paso Locomotive FC 

Laredo, TX (Thursday, February 21, 2019) – Christian Roman and Guillermo Diaz did well for themselves after playing in Laredo during the 2018 National Premier Soccer League Season. Both have moved on from top level amateur and collegiate careers to signing professional contracts, Roman in Portugal and Diaz with the El Paso Locomotive FC of the USL Championship. 

Roman signed with C.F. Vasco Da Gama Vidigueira of the “Campeonato de Portugal” Division. 

Former Heat Head Coach and current Technical Director Dana Taylor said (of Roman), “We are so excited for Christian, he gave so much to the Laredo Heat, his teammates and the community, to see him and teammates fulfill their lifelong dreams of playing professional soccer is truly rewarding”. 

Taylor added (on Diaz), “Memo had a breakout year while playing for the Heat, his ability to influence a game with his pace, quickness, finishing ability or locking down the game in a withdrawn roll was instrumental in our success”. 

“He can play on right or left side and is interchangeable as an outside back, midfielder or winger, which is rare in the game. I am excited for Memo and his Family, most especially to be starting out his professional career in his hometown”, concluded Taylor. 

The USL Championship is considered the Second Division of the U.S. Soccer Pyramid, just below Major League Soccer (MLS), the United States top soccer league. 

“Our entire organization is extremely proud of Christian and Memo and their accomplishments. Both players words after their singing hit home for our organization, as we have always expressed that one of the reasons for our existence is to try to make a difference in the lives of these young men so that they may have the opportunity to realize their dreams”, said Heat Owner Shashi Vaswani. 

Diaz expressed his gratitude for the support which he received from Coach Taylor and the Vaswani Family while playing in Laredo during the 2018 NPSL Season, “I went to Laredo thinking it would be my last season playing soccer since I had to go back to school and finish but whole mentality changed while I was in Laredo, I want to thank everyone for the great season and for turning this around for me”. 

Roman also said, “Just wanted to take a moment to tell you and your Family (Vaswani’s), many thanks for everything you guys did for us and for the Laredo community. I want to personally inform you that I am now playing professionally in Portugal and playing in Laredo was a huge step towards my football career. Your Family, along with Coach Taylor created a great environment for growth, growth not just on the pitch but on the personal level as well”. 

“To see that come to fruition is what keeps us going year after year”, concluded Vaswani. 

Coach Dana Taylor 

Coach Taylor will continue being an important part of the Heat organization in his role as the club’s Technical Director. Taylor was instrumental in the search for the team’s Head Coach for the 2019 National Premier Soccer League’s (NPSL) Season (Coach Aidan Davison) and will be assisting in putting the team together like he did last year while Coach Davison finishes with his responsibilities this Spring in India.  

“Last year, we had something special that will lead us in building for this upcoming 2019 NPSL run for a league championship”, Taylor mentioned.