Position: Goalkeeper
Age: 22
Key Stat: 6' 4" — that's the official height of the New York City native
New York City FC announced the signing of homegrown goalkeeper Alex Rando only on January 12. Rando is the 14th homegrown signing in club history, and just the second NYCFC II player to receive a first team contract.
Rando might be new to the First Team, but the 22-year-old has a long history with the club. Rando signed with NYCFC II in March 2022, and went on to make 32 appearances with eight clean sheets. Before that, Rando featured for the NYCFC academy, where he won two U19 US Academy National Championships and was named the 2019 U19 Golden Glove Winner.
But the 6-foot-4 goalkeeper has featured for other organizations. Rando attended Stanford University, but he never played for the Division I team. He then transferred to the University of Virginia, where he made 11 appearances and earned five clean sheets, the fourth-most in the ACC. Before signing with NYCFC II, Rando was with the Las Vegas Lights in the USL Championship, where he made 27 appearances in the 2021 season.
This season, Rando will likely be the fourth-string goalkeeper behind Matt Freese, Luis Barraza and Cody Mizell. Rando could be loaned out in order to get playing time or possibly make more appearances for NYCFC II.
Rando looks like he’s one to watch in the future, and has the potential to be the starting goalkeeper down the line.
The question is, will he fill the role of third-string goalkeeper, and remain with the First Team but mostly feature in training? Or will he be loaned out to a club in a lower league where he could be a regular in the Starting XI?
Alex Rando in the MLS NEXT Pro Goalie Wars in 2022 up against Minnesota United FC 2 goalkeeper Alec Smir.
