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Expert Discusses Jorge Ruvalcaba's Expected Impact as Red Bull New York's New Star Player
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- Expert Discusses Jorge Ruvalcaba's Expected Impact as Red Bull New York's New Star Player
Jorge Ruvalcaba will soon take his first steps in Major League Soccer after signing for Red Bull New York as a designated player .
The 24-year-old Mexico international will need to repay the belief shown in him by head coach Michael Bradley and Red Bulls head of sport Julian de Guzman after New York spent a club record $6.5 million to acquire him from Pumas UNAM.
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It will now be up to Ruvalcaba to take his promising career to the next level.
Longtime Liga MX and MLS reporter Sebastian Salazar has followed Ruvalcaba's progress closely in recent years, and he spoke exclusively with Athlon Sports about the impact that the talented winger could make at Red Bull New York .
"For me, Ruvalcaba is the type of guy who needs to make the jump from streaky, flashy, dangerous player to consistently impactful for the New York Red Bulls," Salazar told Athlon Sports . "If he can do that with the Red Bulls, what a career move it would be for him, what a great move it would be for the Red Bulls – but he's not as of yet truly proven to be that guy from what I've seen of him.
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"Is he the type of player that today I would bet my house on being a massive impact for the Red Bulls? I dunno. I think that's a much different question. My experience of watching Ruvalcaba at Pumas is that he is a flash player right now. He's a player of flashing either within a game or within a course of a season, having great moments.
Ruvalcaba carved a path of his own without the benefit of being developed at various levels of the United States Soccer Federation. The California native nearly joined the youth academy of Spanish La Liga side Leganés before he ended up playing for the Cal State San Bernardino Coyotes of the NCAA's Division II.
Pumas UNAM midfielder Jorge Ruvalcaba passes the ball while defended by Seattle Sounders FC defender Nouhou during the second half at Lumen Field. Steven Bisig-USA TODAY SportsSteven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports
UNAM eventually took notice, and he joined the club's under-20 team in 2021. He quickly turned heads to the point that Pumas handed him his first team debut on January 11, 2022, and he responded by scoring his first career Liga MX goal.
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"Ruvalcaba is a great story, actually," Salazar said. "Before he went to Pumas, he had totally fallen through the cracks of the American soccer system. A lot of it is politics. If you're not in the pathway for you to get that opportunity, it means that you were an exceptionally talented player that was so over-the-top better than everybody else.
"This kid is a dog. He was willing to basically try out for soccer teams until somebody paid him. He wanted to be a professional that badly and believed in himself even from kind of nothing."
Ruvalcaba made 105 appearances for Pumas and netted 16 goals. He took part in 19 Liga MX matches last season and scored five goals.
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"The last two seasons, he's been pretty productive, but again for the type of player he is, he needs a little bit more final product – and there's probably a million attacking players who you would say that about in that 22-to-25 age range," Salazar said. "There are dudes who have the talent who are very good, but they need to start producing goals and assists and goal contributions that match the talent because those players age out."
With Bradley guiding him as a head coach who saw it all over a long professional career, combined with the big-match experience of attackers Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Emil Forsberg to lean on, Ruvalcaba could be in the right situation to maximize his full potential.
Bradley played for Italian Serie A side Roma and won the 2017 MLS Cup with Toronto FC . Choupo-Moting captured three Bundesliga titles with Bayern Munich and twice won Ligue 1 with Paris Saint-Germain . Forsberg twice lifted the German Cup with RB Leipzig and performed as an instrumental captain during New York's run to the 2024 MLS Cup final.
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"He's still 24, so you'd imagine that he's still in place where he's looking up and looking for examples from guys," Salazar said. "For a lot of the players in Mexico, when they're in Mexico, they don't get exposed to many players who've had that European pedigree. It's not in every dressing room."
Red Bull supporters will soon have the chance to watch Ruvalcaba in competitive action when New York opens the 2026 MLS regular season on the road against Orlando City SC on February 21.
The Red Bulls will play their first home match on February 28 against the New England Revolution .
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Feb 16, 2026, where it first appeared in the Soccer section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
