Source: Noah Eile Headed to FC Nordsjælland, RBNY Announce Ethan Horvath Signing & More

In a shocking turn of events for Red Bull New York, it appears that star center back Noah Eile may be leaving the club.

Farzam Abolhosseini of Tipsbladet was the first to reveal that the Farum based club are in advanced talks to bring in New York's top center back, early Thursday morning. 

Eile, 23, was signed by RBNY in January 2024 and immediately became an important fixture for the team as its premier central defender. A U-22 Initiative player, he initially signed a four-year deal through 2027 with an option for 2028.

In two full seasons with the Red Bulls, Eile has played in 59 MLS regular season matches and made 72 appearances across all competitions.

Prior to coming to MLS, Eile broke into the professional ranks with Swedish giants Malmö FF and put himself on the map on loan stints at Mjällby, totaling 49 Allsvenskan appearances between 2021 and 2023. He has earned 34 caps with Swedish youth national teams, most recently featuring for the U-21s in 2024.

Known for his ball-playing ability and calming back line presence, Eile was in a league of his own amongst MLS defenders. A more than capable defender, Eile's best metrics stick out from his passing game, including sitting in the 91st percentile of successful passes for MLS defenders (1,722), the 87th percentile for accurate long balls (91) and the 93rd percentile for touches (2,384).

That's not to mention his impressive defensive stats, as well, which include him at the 83rd percentile for duels won (112), the 83rd percentile for aerial duels won (51), the 95th percentile for recoveries (149), the 85th percentile for tackles (43) and the 89th percentile for interceptions (35).

With the impending change of style under new Head Coach Michael Bradley, it seemed like Eile was a great fit for the new possession-based philosophy that the former USMNT captain appears to be ushering in. Now, it looks like RBNY will have to find another solution at center half.

Should the move to Nordsjælland materialize, New York will only have two natural center backs in Tim Parker and free agent signing Robert Voloder, although right backs Justin Che and Dylan Nealis can provide additional cover in the position.

Head of Sport Julian de Guzman will have his work cut out for him to replace one of the league's best center backs. It would also open up a U-22 Initiative slot, with the other two being occupied by forwards Wiktor Bogacz and Dennis Gjengaar.

Red Bull New York Announces Ethan Horvath Signing

On Thursday, Red Bull New York announced that it had completed the signing of American goalkeeper Ethan Horvath from EFL side Cardiff City.

Horvath, 30, joins the club with a litany of experience that fans can certainly be excited about ahead of the 2026 MLS season. The one-and-a-half-year MLS contract keeps the USMNT keeper with RBNY through June of 2027 with options for 2027-2028 and 2028-2029.

In a statement released to media, Bradley, a former national team teammate of Horvath, said of the Highlands Ranch, CO native, "Ethan has been a proven winner for both club and country, and we are really excited to add him to our roster ahead of the 2026 season. He has shown throughout his career that he can perform in big moments."

De Guzman added, "Ethan brings a tremendous amount of experience and professionalism to our group. He has competed at the highest levels, and his leadership will be invaluable for our locker room and our goalkeeping unit as a whole.”

In order to complete the signing, New York had to send $150,000 in GAM and their highest 2027 MLS SuperDraft 2nd Round pick to Charlotte FC for Horvath's Discovery Rights. 

You gotta love MLS.

RBNY receives $50,000 in GAM From San Jose Earthquakes for Timo Werner's Discovery Rights

Give and you shall receive.

The Red Bulls, despite losing $150,000 in GAM in order to sign Horvath, will receive $50,000 from the San Jose Earthquakes for the Discovery Rights of former RB Leipzig and German international forward Timo Werner.

Werner was the lead target to fill New York's third Designated Player spot in 2025, but the club and the player could not reach an agreement on personal terms. Instead, the 29-year-old will head to the Bay Area to play for Bruce Arena's Earthquakes amidst their mass exodus of goalscorers from previous seasons.

Empire Soccer Report Episode 4 is live!

In the latest episode of Empire Soccer Report, James Birle is joined by Luca Richman of @rbny.xp on Instagram. With the Red Bulls preseason underway, James and Luca analyze the reported signing of Ethan Horvath, the first two matches of preseason and take a look at the latest roster moves. All this and more: