Santiago Castañeda: Who is Paderborn's USA U21 international midfielder?
A key member of a Paderborn side battling for promotion from Bundesliga 2 this season, Santiago Castañeda is primed to make his debut for the USA U21s in the coming days. We train the spotlight on the young midfielder...
Data correct as of 12 November 2025
Age: 20 (born 13 November 2024)
Club: Paderborn
Position: Defensive midfielder
Country: USA
Key stats
Born in Tampa, USA, to Colombian parents, Castañeda grew up with football in his veins.
His father, Carlos, used to play professionally in his native Colombia, while his mother is an ardent supporter of Colombian top-flight outfit América de Cali, who have won the national championship 15 times and finished runners-up in the Copa Libertadores – the South American equivalent of the UEFA Champions League – on four occasions.
“I started playing when I was three years old,” Castañeda told American Soccer Now in 2024. “I looked up to my father, although I have an older brother who is seven years older than me. He went through everything before me.”
Despite the encouragement and support of a football-mad family, Castañeda’s path to the professional stage was not an easy one. While playing for Tampa Bay United in the MLS’s youth league, MLS Next, he accepted a scholarship to attend Tampa Preparatory School.
Because MLS Next rules forbade high-school students from playing in the division, Castañeda made the difficult decision to leave United and split his commitments between his prep school team and Florida Premier FC in the Elite Clubs National League – a national developmental league in the US.
“It was a very tough pathway for me,” he recalled. “Growing up, all I thought about was a professional career. It was sad because I’m leaving MLS Next, which they say is the best league in the American system. But honestly, it was one of the best decisions I’ve made in my life.”
Away from the spotlight of MLS Next, Castañeda’s game began to flourish. A man-of-the-match performance in the ECNL’s Florida National Selection game garnered the attention of USL Championship side Tampa Bay Rowdies, whom he joined in 2022.
After making his second-tier debut for the Rowdies in a 5-2 win over Pittsburgh, Castañeda was one of 17 players invited to represent a USA Under-19 all-star team at the ‘Capelli Sport’ Cup in Denmark. A string of impressive displays caught the eye of German third-division club Duisburg, who are co-owned by the American sportswear company and leapt at the chance of offering him a trial.
“The level and the pace was completely different,” said Castañeda. “The fourth day in, they brought me into the office and told me they wanted to offer me a contract. It was incredible.”
Castañeda hit the ground running after signing a two-year deal with the Ruhr District side. He made 31 appearances in the 3. Liga alone but was unable to prevent the club from slipping into the fourth division.
A number of other German teams were monitoring Castañeda’s progress by that stage. In summer 2024, he put pen to paper on a two-year contract with Bundesliga 2 outfit Paderborn, who narrowly missed out on promotion in 2024/25 but are sitting pretty at the second tier summit heading into the November international break.
“Santiago is having another very good season, and his call-up to the [USA] U21s is long overdue,” Paderborn’s managing director for sport, Sebastian Lange, told local newspaper Westfalenblatt recently. “He’s earned it through hard-work, commitment and consistent performances.
“It’s a great honour for Santi, and one that he should enjoy.”
Plays a bit like: Tyler Adams
A tough-tackling holding midfielder with a keen eye for a pass, Castañeda’s style is not too dissimilar to another American star who made his way to Germany in 2019.
Adams made 103 appearances for RB Leipzig in all competitions after joining from New York Red Bulls, featuring in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals in 2020 and helping the club win the DFB Cup in 2022.
Adams moved to Premier League side Leeds United in 2022 but not before cementing his status as one of the finest American midfielders to grace Germany’s top flight. If Castañeda continues on his current trajectory, he may be honing his skills in the Bundesliga himself before too long.
Watch: Catañeda assist helps Paderborn beat Cologne in 2024/25
Did you know?
Castañeda has yet to open his account for Paderborn in the league but did find the net in last season’s DFB Cup first round, scoring in a 4-0 victory over Bremer SV.
What they’re saying
“I’m excited for Santi that he has achieved his childhood dream of becoming a professional soccer player. If you work hard, have a plan and are not scared of achieving your goals you set for yourself, anything is possible.” – Novica Maric, Florida Premier FC CEO
“My whole life, I've wanted to be called up for the national team. Obviously, we have players already playing in the MLS and some are already playing in Europe. That’s something I need to compete for. It’s a motivation for me.” – Castañeda on his international ambitions
“Santiago plays for a top club in the German second division and, at 20 years of age, he is delivering consistent performances at that level. He couldn’t have done more.” – Lange on Castañeda’s hopes of representing the senior US national team
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