Red Bull New York officially has its No. 1 goalkeeper, as the club announced the signing of veteran US international Ethan Horvath from English League One side Cardiff City on Thursday.
The contract is for one-and-a-half years through June of 2027, with options for the 2027-28 and 2028-29 seasons. Red Bull has also sent Charlotte FC $75,000 in 2026 General Allocation Money (GAM), $75,000 in 2027 GAM, and their highest second-round pick of the 2027 MLS SuperDraft for Horvath’s discovery rights.
AmNewYork first learned on Saturday that Horvath and New York were nearing an agreement.
This is a homecoming, of sorts, for the 30-year-old, who has not played his club soccer in the United States since he was 16. The Colorado native, who has made 10 appearances for the US national team, spent the past five seasons in England, most notably with Nottingham Forest. He joined Cardiff City, which plays in England’s third tier, in 2024.
He was loaned out to Sheffield Wednesday of the Championship (second tier) on a half-season loan to start the season, only to learn that Cardiff City had no plans for him upon his return.
All the while, he has fallen out of the United States national team rotation after serving as Matt Turner’s backup at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. NYCFC keeper Matt Freese is the favorite for the No. 1 spot. Patrick Schulte of the Columbus Crew, Jonathan Klinsmann of Cesena (Italy), and FC Cincinnati’s Roman Celentano are the other three goalkeepers currently listed on the American roster.
With Red Bull New York, though, Horvath is the undisputed No. 1 keeper after the club failed to extend Paraguayan international Carlos Coronel toward the end of last season. Veteran John McCarthy will serve as Horvath’s backup while AJ Marcucci recovers from a torn ACL suffered in August.
