The New York Red Bulls have acquired veteran goalkeeper John McCarthy from the Los Angeles Galaxy, a source confirmed with amNewYork.
The Red Bulls will be sending a 2026 third-round draft pick to Los Angeles, which will retain a significant portion of McCarthy’s remaining salary, which runs through the 2026 season.
The move comes just before Major League Soccer’s transfer window closed on Thursday, coming out of necessity to bolster New York’s keeper ranks after backup AJ Marcucci went down with a season-ending knee injury during its quarterfinal loss in the US Open Cup to the Philadelphia Union last week.
McCarthy is a two-time MLS Cup winner and the 2022 MLS Cup Final MVP, but has taken on more of a backup role to Novak Micovic this season. While Micovic has gotten 15 starts, the 33-year-old has appeared in 11 matches, making 33 saves.
He likely will take a similar reserve role behind the Paraguayan international, Carlos Coronel, who has started 25 of 27 MLS matches this season. It is a far more proven option than the 17-year-old Aidan Stokes, who was the Red Bulls’ backup during their weekend league match against Philadelphia on Saturday.
Coronel is in the final year of his contract, which was a team option picked up before the 2025 campaign.
McCarthy becomes New York’s third major acquisition of this summer’s transfer window. They signed veteran Swedish midfielder Gustav Berggren and completed a move for 19-year-old Costa Rican winger Andy Rojas.
