Red Bull New York Brings American Ethan Horvath Back to the States to be Their New No.1 Goalkeeper
- Daniel Rebain
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
With the departure of fan-favorite Carlos Coronel this offseason, Red Bull New York had a massive hole in goal. That hole is now being filled by the hero of the 2021 CONCACAF Nations League Final.
On January 23rd, Red Bull New York announced the signing of USMNT goalkeeper Ethan Horvath on a free transfer from Cardiff City in the English third division.
The 30-year-old Colorado native signed a three-and-a-half-year MLS contract through June of 2027, with options for 2027-2028 & 2028-2029. Tom Bogert first reported the news.
"Ethan brings a tremendous amount of experience and professionalism to our group,” said Head of Sport Julian de Guzman. “He has competed at the highest levels, and his leadership will be invaluable for our locker room and our goalkeeping unit as a whole."
This winter got off to a hot start for Red Bull when the decision not to re-sign goalkeeper Carlos Coronel became official. Coronel has since committed to Orlando City, only to spurn them for Brazilian Serie A side São Paulo.
Before the Horvath signing, the Red Bulls had three goalkeepers on their roster, with AJ Marcucci out until the summer following ACL surgery last August. Two of those three, Aidan Stokes ('08) and Tobias Szewczyk ('09), are teenagers. Finding a starting goalkeeper was one of the biggest needs for new Head of Sport Julian de Guzman and head coach Michael Bradley this offseason, and now they have their guy.
Horvath has struggled to find a home since leaving Club Brugge in the summer of 2021. In the past five seasons, Horvath has been on four different teams (Nottingham Forest, Luton Town, Cardiff City & Sheffield Wednesday).
To begin the 2025 season, Horvath was sent on loan to the English Championship to play for Sheffield Wendsday. Horvath won just one game in his fourteen starts for the Owls before his loan was cut short. In his fourteen starts, Horvath made 51 saves (3.64 per 90), conceded 28 goals, and recorded two clean sheets.
In the years following his heroics in the 2021 CONCACAF Nations League Final, it's been clear that Horvath is missing his confidence. Moving that many times in a handful of years definitely doesn't help. With the stability of a three-and-a-half-year contract and the confidence of Michael Bradley, we should expect Horvath to regress positively to the goalkeeper he was in Belgium.
"Ethan has been a proven winner for both club and country, and we are really excited to add him to our roster ahead of the 2026 season,” said Bradley.” He has shown throughout his career that he can perform in big moments. He is a strong shot-stopper, commands his area well, and fits the way we want to play.”
Horvath could also see this as an opportunity to impress the USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino one last time before the World Cup comes stateside this summer. Either way you look at it, Michael Bradley and Red Bull have their starting goalkeeper for the foreseeable future.
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