Red Bull New York is finalizing a trade to send midfielder Wiki Carmona to CF Montreal for wingback Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty, sources tell amNewYork.
The 21-year-old Canadian defender, who came up through Toronto FC’s academy, made 39 combined MLS appearances for Montreal and Charlotte FC, with whom he was on loan for the 2025 season. It was during the previous campaign that he got a call-up to the Canadian national team for friendlies against Romania and Wales in September.
He was invited to Canada’s national team camp in January, which continues to bode well for his chances of cracking the roster for this summer’s World Cup.
A move to New York provides the promise of consistent playing time for a back line in significant flux. Red Bull was able to deal from a deeper portion of its roster in the midfield — Carmona was unlikely to get much playing time behind the likes of Emil Forsberg and Gustav Berggren — to bring on another defender.
In the last two months, New York parted ways with three significant center-backs: They cut ties with Alexander Haak, Sean Nealis to DC United, and their No. 1 option, Noah Eile, to Bristol City of the English Championship.
While they signed Sporting Kansas City veteran Robert Voloder, right-back Dylan Nealis is being called upon by first-year head coach Michael Bradley to shift to the middle of the back line. American right-back Justin Che, who is just 22, was signed from Danish side Brønby. Marshall-Rutty will likely line up opposite him on the left side. Raheem Edwards and Matthew Dos Santos remain as depth options on the wing.
This, by no means, suggests that this is the final product with Red Bull’s season opener less than two weeks away. Sources maintain with amNewYork that head of sport Julian de Guzman remains heavily involved in the transfer market, as another center-back would greatly improve the club’s prospects moving forward.
