Sporting Sign Center Back Castellanos

Sporting Kansas City yesterday announced another addition to the 2023 roster, signing center back, Robert Castellanos. The 24-year-old Castellanos comes to Kansas City after spending the last month in Finland with Finnish side KuPS. He comes to Kansas City with experience mostly in the USL Championship, but some MLS experience as well.

Castellanos started his professional career with LA Galaxy II in the USL Championship in 2017. After appearing sixteen times as a teenager for the club he moved to another MLS affiliate in the USL Championship, Rio Grande Valley FC. He spent three years with the Toros before being signed to an MLS contract with Nashville SC.

With Nashville, Castellanos made just one MLS appearance, a start against Toronto FC where he scored Nashville’s loan goal in a 1-1 draw in August of 2021. Castellanos spent the entirety of the 2022 season on loan in the USL Championship with the Tampa Bay Rowdies. He made ten appearances for the Rowdies, scoring one goal.

The Castellanos signing was a necessary one for Kansas City to get another center back into the team after the season ending injury to Kortne Ford. Sporting couldn’t go into the 2023 season with just three center backs, and Castellanos gives Kansas City a defender with more experience at center back than all but one on either Sporting’s or Sporting KC II’s roster, Andreu Fontas.

The move doesn’t preclude another center back from being signed, but at least it gives Kansas City a fourth available center back on the roster with Fontas, Chris Rindov, and Robert Voloder to start the season.