Seattle Sounders sign goalkeeper Jacob Castro to homegrown contract
By Chris Smith
The Seattle Sounders have signed goalkeeper Jacob Castro to a homegrown contract through the 2023 MLS season.
Castro is the Sounders' 21st all-time homegrown player and could remain with the club beyond next season with options in his contract for 2024 and 2025.
“We are excited to sign Jacob after a standout career in the Pac-12,” Sounders general manager and chief soccer officer Craig Waibel said in a club press release. “He has shown great upside since joining the Academy in 2017, which he further developed in his collegiate career. We’re pleased to add yet another talented goalkeeper to an already established core.”
Now 22 years old, Castro has been with the Sounders academy since 2017. The goalkeeper has made four USL Championship appearances with Seattle's affiliate, Tacoma Defiance, while he has extensive experience at the college level.
“I’m pleased to add another young, talented player from our Academy to the squad,” said Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer. “He joins a strong, veteran goalkeeper group, and I’m excited to see him work with Tom Dutra when preseason camp begins.”
Castro will now join a goalkeeping line-up that includes veteran No.1 Stefan Frei and 28-year-old backup Stefan Cleveland.
The Sounders became the first-ever MLS team to win the Concacaf Champions League in 2022. However, domestically, they'll be looking for a drastic improvement next season after finishing 11th in the Western Conference and missing out on the MLS Cup Playoffs for the first time in their history.
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