Danny Cepero (born April 22, 1985 in Baldwin, New York) is a former

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

player.

Playing career

College

Cepero played four years of

college soccer College soccer is played by teams composed of soccer players who are enrolled in colleges and universities. It is very prominent in United States, Japan, South Korea, Canada, and as well as in South Africa and the Philippines. The United Kingd ...

at the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

, where he captained the squad, set Penn's all-time career record for shutouts, and was named to the All-Ivy team in his senior year."Danny Cepero"
''Penn Soccer'', retrieved March 28, 2007.

Professional

Cepero was drafted by the

New York Red Bulls The New York Red Bulls are an American professional soccer club based in the New York metropolitan area. The Red Bulls compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The club was established in October 1994 and be ...

in the fourth round of the 2007 MLS Supplemental Draft and spent the early part of 2007 balancing his remaining academic duties with his attempts to make the team roster. On March 26, 2007, the team announced that it had signed Cepero to a developmental contract. Cepero spent some time in the post-season of 2007 training with Dutch side

PSV Eindhoven Philips Sport Vereniging (; en, Philips Sports Association ), abbreviated as PSV and internationally known as PSV Eindhoven (), is a Dutch sports club from Eindhoven, Netherlands. It is best known for its professional football department, whi ...

, where he impressed coaches. Cepero was loaned out to the

Harrisburg City Islanders Penn FC (formerly the Harrisburg City Islanders) was an American professional soccer team based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 2003, the team most recently played in the USL Pro, the second tier of the United States soccer ...

of the

USL Second Division The USL Second Division (commonly referred to as USL-2) was a professional men's soccer league in the United States, operated by United Soccer Leagues (USL). It was at the third tier of soccer in the United States, behind Major League Soccer ( ...

in 2008, and while with the City Islanders Cepero established himself as one of the top keepers in USL-2. Following his successful loan stint he was recalled by the Red Bulls. Cepero made his Red Bulls debut on October 18, 2008, against the

Columbus Crew The Columbus Crew, formerly known as Columbus Crew SC, is an American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio. The Crew competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference and began play in 1996 as one ...

, because of first choice goalkeeper

Jon Conway Jon Conway (born May 6, 1977) is an American retired soccer goalkeeper and current goalkeeping coach for Toronto FC. Youth and college Born in Media, Pennsylvania, as a youth, Conway played club soccer for the Lower Merion Gorillas, leading t ...

's 10-game suspension for using illegal substances. In the 83rd minute of the game Cepero scored a goal from a free kick deep inside his own half to become the first goalkeeper in MLS history to score a goal from open play. Cepero was waived by New York on February 12, 2010. He later signed with

. It was reported on March 14, 2011 that Cepero retired as a professional soccer player.

Coaching career

After retirement, Cepero joined

Florida Gulf Coast University Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) is a public university in Lee County, Florida. It is part of the State University System of Florida and is its second youngest member. The university was established on May 3, 1991, and is accredited by the ...

as an assistant men's soccer coach. In February 2013, he joined

University of Louisville The University of Louisville (UofL) is a public research university in Louisville, Kentucky. It is part of the Kentucky state university system. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one of ...

also as an assistant coach working mostly with goalkeepers. Cepero is currently the Director of Goalkeeping for the

New York City FC New York City Football Club is an American professional soccer club based in New York City that competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), the highest level of American soccer, as a member of the league's Eastern Conference. The club is co-owned ...

Academy.

Honors

New York Red Bulls

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...

Western Conference Championship (1):

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

References

External links

*
Louisville bioCepero's goal against Columbus
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cepero, Danny 1985 births Living people Association football goalkeepers American soccer players Penn Quakers men's soccer players New York Red Bulls players Penn FC players Philadelphia Union players USL Second Division players Major League Soccer players New York Red Bulls draft picks New York City FC non-playing staff New York City FC II non-playing staff Soccer players from New York (state) Sportspeople from Nassau County, New York Florida Gulf Coast Eagles men's soccer coaches Louisville Cardinals men's soccer coaches