Red Bull New York Closing in on Deal to Sign Mexican-American Winger Jorge Ruvalcaba
- Daniel Rebain
- 8 hours ago
- 3 min read
Updated: 6 hours ago
New Head of Sport Julian de Guzman continues to bring major change at Red Bull New York. Sources tell Area Sports Network that Red Bull is closing in on a deal to bring Mexican-American winger Jorge Ruvalcaba to New York from Pumas UNAM.
This news has now been confirmed by Joe Pantorno of amNewYork. Pantorno is also reporting that Ruvalcaba will occupy Red Bull's third designated player slot this season behind the likes of Emil Forsberg and Eric Choupo-Moting.
Prime Video Mexico is reporting the transfer fee will be $6,500,000, plus add-ons, according to CƔntalo Camacho. Once completed, Red Bull will have a new incoming transfer record, surpassing the $6,250,000 signing of Kaku from CA HuracƔn in the winter of 2018.
A former student-athlete at Division II Cal State San Bernardino, Ruvalcaba has made a name for himself in Liga MX since joining Pumas U20s in 2021. With Pumas, Ruvalcaba has played 99 games, in all competitions, scoring sixteen goals and providing eight assists.
In his early years with Pumas, Ruvalcaba was a good player, but he didn't have a great end product to his game. But in the 2025 Apertura, he finally showcased his skills. Ruvalcaba started all but two matches for Pumas, scoring five goals and assisting on three others. It was a true breakout season for the 24-year-old winger.
His play to end 2025 caught the attention of Javier Aguiree, and the Mexican Senior National Team. Ruvalcaba made his Mexico debut on November 19th, 2025, in a 2-1 road loss against Paraguay.
Earlier this winter, Juilan de Guzman set out to retool the attack around aging designated players Erik Choupo-Moting and Emil Forsberg.
Red Bull's first signing of the winter was a loan deal to bring in Cade Cowell from Chivas Guadalajara. Now the big money signing of Ruvalcaba signals a clear effort to give new head coach Michael Bradley all the tools he needs to improve the team after Red Bull missed the playoffs in 2025.
Cowell and Ruvalcaba bring an abundance of speed to a Red Bull attack that lacked any ability to run around a defense. In 2026, that will change under new head coach Michael Bradley. In two preseason games at IMG Academy, Cowell has recorded four assists and, in the process, has shown off his incredible athleticism.
The signings of Cowell and Ruvalcaba greatly improve the depth at the winger position for Red Bull. Last season, injuries to both Lewis Morgan and Cameron Harper put Red Bull behind the eight ball, and they could never recover.
Now, a player like Moahmmed Sofo, who started 22 games and played ~2,000 in all competitions, will be utilized off the bench alongside Harper, who is still working his way back from a torn MCL.
There are still moves to be made, but Julian de Guzman has significantly improved the attacking depth of Red Bull this offseason with the additions of Cade Cowell and Jorge Ruvalcaba. In just a few months on the job, he has gotten off a handful of bloated contracts and replaced them with players he sees as fits for Michael Bradley's system.
With the preseason fully underway, Red Bull seemed primed to be a much-improved team on the offensive side of the ball in 2026.
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