The path of American soccer players has shifted over the years as there are now more Americans performing at high levels in Europe than ever before, but much of that is due to being able to build on the success of those who came before them. Few know that better than Santiago Castaneda, who has now made it from Tampa, Florida, to the Bundesliga with Paderborn, scoring his first goal this season and leading the club to their first Bundesliga victory in 2,431 days. It has been a long road for the club since being relegated in the 2019-20 season before Castaneda helped them get back to the top flight, and the club journey mirrors that of the Colombian-American midfielder.
Soccer is something that is in Castaneda's blood. His father, Carlos, played professionally in Colombia, and his brother also played, so at a young age, Castaneda was exposed to soccer and what it meant to be a professional, which was important when making the decision not to go to Michigan for college and instead take a trial with MSV Duisburg in the third division of Germany, which was one of many situations where Castaneda bet on himself and it worked out.
"We took this decision together to go to the third division in Germany, and we all had this passion for the game where we knew that professional soccer was the next step for me ... One main thing that my father, my family, taught me when I was younger is respect and discipline, and this is what you need to go far in life, but not only as a player, but as a person," Castaneda told CBS Sports. "So I think with that I was able to take that and work for my dreams and work hard for what I wanted, and I think without my family, none of this could have happened for sure."
Coming from the Tampa Bay Rowdies system, on paper, the jump to the German third division may have been one that was at a similar level to the United Soccer League, but due to the presence of promotion and relegation, the room for upward mobility is high. It's also easier to believe in yourself when there's not only a support system, but when you've also seen more Americans performing at high levels, be it Champions League soccer or regulars in the European game. When Castaneda was getting started with the Rowdies, Christian Pulisic became the first American to play in a Champions League final when he lifted the trophy with Chelsea, conquering a new frontier for American soccer players.
Now you also have an entire generation that doesn't know life without America having a top-flight domestic league, and the fruits of that show among the young talent abroad that Castaneda is part of.
"Before, you didn't see so much, and now you're seeing so much more happening, and of course that says a lot about the American system and the way they're handling things and the way they're producing players, and it seems like we're going in a good direction, and yeah, I think for me it's really special coming from the Tampa area," Castaneda said. "There aren't that many products that come from there so it's a little bit more special for me to represent that area. I think overall American soccer association, they're doing everything the right way, and it could get better and better as time goes by."
Even with an international break coming to a close, where Mauricio Pochettino has called in younger prospects from all over, Castaneda wasn't part of the USMNT squad despite having caps with the youth sides where he played alongside Diego Kochen and Brooklyn Raines. In the past, it would've been unheard of for a Bundesliga starter to miss a camp, and while he's focused on getting called into the USMNT, there haven't been conversations with Mauricio Pochettino. Also eligible to represent Colombia, Castaneda is open to either country as he has heritage with both.
European goals
He's already accomplished one goal of making it to Europe, and now that he's in the Bundesliga, the next goal of representing a national team likely won't be far behind. At 21, Castaneda has already made 73 appearances for Paderborn, gaining plenty of experience along the way as a defensive midfielder and a box-to-box midfielder, and when he looks back at where he came from in Tampa, it's astounding.
"If you look back at three or four years ago, I was still playing high school soccer, which is really crazy to think about, and every time I think about that, it gives me less pressure on myself. It's like I can be really proud of how far I've gotten, but it's not a thing to slow me down and get relaxed; it's to keep me pushing and be a role model for the people in Tampa and the United States," Castaneda said.
Getting to this point in a fast rise of only five years from Tampa to the Bundesliga has been a journey for Castaneda, but it's one that's far from over. He said that seeing his peers get the call to the USMNT makes him want to push more to get to that stage himself, and continuing on this current path, opportunities will come.
There hasn't been a better time when it comes to depth among American soccer players, which does make it tougher to get national team opportunities, but it also makes them that much more gratifying when they happen. Of course, if he continues on this path, there's the potential for dual national panic between the United States and Colombia, but for Castaneda and Paderborn, that'd be quite a good problem to have.
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