When Alejandro “Kaku” Romero Gamarra was told about the importance of family at the club, he knew he was coming to the right place.

“That is what I want, that we become a great family and that we can make it far,” Kaku said through a translator.

Family, for Kaku, goes beyond just his teammates on the pitch.

“All the feedback we’ve ever gotten about Kaku, from every single person that has ever known him, is about what an incredible person he is,” Head Coach Jesse Marsch said. “You learn about the fact that he’s from a family of 13 children, and you learn about the responsibility he feels to his big family, and the kind of value system he has. That got me so excited. It got me to the point where I knew this would be the right guy for us.”

Kaku said he can’t wait to bring his child to Red Bull Arena and experience a win at home, in front of the fans, with his family.

The move to New York also impacts his large family back in Argentina, as 30 members of his family saw him off at the airport.

“My family is really happy with this amazing change in my life,” Kaku said. “I know it will be good for my future that I come to a great family like the Red Bulls.”

He said, although it was sad to leave his extended family behind in Argentina, he feels they will “always be together” and they will always support him. And he hopes to do something special for his family back home.

“It’s a dream of every kid to come to a big team like the Red Bulls. It is a dream come true,” Kaku said, choking back tears. “The truth is that I am really happy, my family is also really happy, since we’ve always fought for it, and hopefully I will now be able to buy the house that I always wanted, keep having fun and celebrate -- because that is what my mom always told me."