Houston Dynamo signed 15-year-old Juan Castilla to a Homegrown Contract this week. He is the youngest signing in franchise history. Castilla, born July 27, 2004, is a talented midfielder with a lot of potential. 

His signing is an indication of where the Texas franchise is heading after struggling to integrate the academy into the first team over much of the last decade. Academy Director Paul Holocher talked with TopDrawerSoccer about that struggle in April. 

“Tab [Ramos] {new head coach of the Houston Dynamo} has been incredible with his understanding of a full club structure, understanding of how an academy and first team work closely together. He has been unbelievable along with our pre-professional Director Kenny Bundy along with our whole staff in creating opportunities for our young players. We are now having top U17 and U19 players into first team training.”

Holocher said that implementing an educational system for the academy was key so the players could join first team training. 

“When the kids are at a brick and mortar high school, it’s impossible for them to come in and train with the first team. That was the first hurdle. We wanted to create an opportunity for the academy players to have more contact with us. We set up training so they were coming in at the same time as the first team. Every Wednesday we scrimmage the first team. Tab knows all of our players. We have a weekly meeting together - Matt Jordan, Tab Ramos, and myself. Our goal is to develop Houston homegrown players.”

Castilla’s signing is an obvious sign that Dynamo is serious about the academy and developing Homegrown players in the future. Castilla began playing with the Houston Dynamo in the Development Academy in 2016 in the U12 age group. He spent a season with Columbus Crew’s academy, but returned to the Dynamo this past year and featured for the club’s U18/19 team in five games while playing up a few age groups. 

Castilla’s contract does not go into effect until January of 2021, so don’t expect to see him on the field anytime soon. He will still be only 16 years old when he officially joins the Dynamo roster. 

So what should fans expect from the new Homegrown signing? 

With the help of InStat, a sports performance analysis software, Castilla’s highlights give a look into his future in Ramos’ system but also as a contributor at the international level. 

Castilla played with the Dynamo U18/19 team during the Winter DA event in Florida, which pitted him against players from the 2001/2002 age group. The midfielder held his own, but he did get knocked around a bit. 

With another year of physical development under his belt, his cunning instinct for how to play the game should shine through when he joins the Dynamo first team roster in 2021. Castilla showed a knack for operating in tight spaces and having great field awareness. 

He looks to operate as a center midfielder in a high-pressing system, and could have a future as a defensive midfielder. He trained with Tab Ramos and the Dynamo first team during the preseason so it’s clear Ramos has an idea of where he would fit into his system in the future. 

Columbus Crew Academy also posted highlights of Castilla from his time with the club. His talent was easy to see when he played against peers in his own age group.