The New York Red Bulls have signed defender Juan Castillo on a short-term loan deal from their USL affiliate, New York Red Bulls II, ahead of Saturday’s clash with Charlotte FC.
RBNY head into the match at Bank of America Stadium without a number of defenders, with Aaron Long on international duty with the United States and the likes of Andres Reyes and Lucas Monzon injured.
To help ease Gehard Struber’s headaches at the back, Castillo has been brought into the senior team on a temporary basis.
The 19-year-old is in his second year with RBNY II – currently bottom of the Eastern Conference with just one win from 14 matches – making 42 USL Championship appearances and notching three assists so far. Castillo is one of Gary Lewis’ key players, wearing the captain’s armband on a number of occasions in 2022.
Castillo remains uncapped at any level for his native Colombia, but has been called into U-17 and U-20 camps in the past.
While the second team has struggled, the Red Bulls themselves are going well in Major League Soccer, heading into the weekend fourth in the Eastern Conference with just one defeat in their last 11 games across all competitions.
Struber’s side recently knocked this weekend’s opponents, Charlotte, out of the US Open Cup with a 3-1 win in late May.
