New arrival Dany Rosero brings needed defensive impact, upbeat mindset to Sporting KC

When Sporting KC took the field on Tuesday for its first training session of the week, new defender Dany Rosero wasn’t difficult to find. The towering center back stood out physically.

Once the ball started rolling, his play stood out, too.

Calm and composed on the ball, he quickly picked up what was asked of him and performed. While it’s only training, it’s enough to give Sporting KC manager Peter Vermes confidence they went after the right player.

“I think he’s what we thought he was going to be,” Vermes said. “He’s gotta play games, and that’s where it’s all gonna count, but (he has) a good mentality already.”

Vermes was complimentary of the player on the field but made sure to mention how quickly his personality has made an impact despite a language barrier with a good amount of the squad.

“You can see he’s just got a great personality,” Vermes said. “It’s a lot like when (Willy) Agada got here, just really upbeat, and (Rosero) is that way.”

Another thing that was apparent from Rosero’s introductory press conference was the level of gratitude the Colombian defender expressed. He took time to shake everyone in the room’s hand and say hello.

For Rosero, the move to Sporting KC is a dream move, and the gratitude is because Sporting has given him an opportunity to live that dream.

“Every player wants to leave where they come from and get to another level and transfer to another team,” Rosero said, per a Sporting translator. “I have been lucky enough to get the opportunity to come to this awesome club. And to be here in the United States is really just a dream come true.”

Coming from Colombia, Rosero doesn’t think he’ll have a problem getting used to the league. He noted similarities between the pace, physicality and technique of the Colombian top flight and Major League Soccer. He even spoke to a close friend who has made the transition to MLS quite well in LAFC standout defender Jesus Murillo.

Ultimately, life in Kansas City will be different. His previous club, Atletico Junior, is based in Barranquilla, one of the furthest-north major cities of Colombia. It’s along the coast and mouth of the Magdalena River. The distance between Barranquilla and Aruba is half the distance to Colombia’s capital city of Bogotá.

Rosero has traded his favorite seafood for BBQ and what he called a quieter life for himself and his wife as they prepare to expand their family. His first child is set to be born in the next year.

The transition to Kansas City can be difficult, too, as Rosero doesn’t speak much English yet. But he’s already forged a good relationship with Andreu Fontás and some of the other Spanish-speaking players on the back line, saying he feels like he’s known them his whole life.

“I thought it would be much more difficult to assimilate to everything,” Rosero said. “But having these guys that speak Spanish, really good guys has made it so much easier.”

Rosero’s first chance for his Sporting debut will come this weekend against the Philadelphia Union. Sporting will hit the road for a 6:30 p.m. Central kickoff on Saturday.