On Monday, Red Bull New York announced that it had finalized the transfer of Mexican international winger Jorge Ruvalcaba from LigaMX side UNAM Pumas. The club signed him to a four-and-a-half-year MLS contract with an additional option for 2030-31.
The 24-year-old will occupy New York's third and final Designated Player spot but will remain TAM eligible for future seasons.
Ruvalcaba comes to RBNY after tallying 100 appearances with Pumas since joining the club in 2022, scoring 16 goals.
Despite Pumas finishing 10th in the 2025 Liga MX Apertura, it was Ruvalcaba's most productive season as a professional, scoring five and adding three assists in 15 matches.
Born and raised in Rialto, CA, Ruvalcaba represents the Mexican national team. He made his first official cap for the Mexican national team this past November in a 2-1 loss to Paraguay. He also featured for El Tri in an unofficial friendly against Brazilian club Internacional, in which he scored the second in a 2-0 win.
He qualifies as a domestic player for RBNY's senior team.
Head of Sport Julian de Guzman said of Ruvalcaba, "We are very excited to welcome Jorge to our club. He is a dynamic, creative attacker that has shown great potential and a strong work ethic, and we are confident that he will contribute to our success both on and off the field.”
Head Coach Michael Bradley echoed the same qualities, saying, "We believe he will integrate well into our team and his versatility and pace will give us additional options in the attacking third. We are looking forward to working with him as he looks to integrate and contribute to the success of the team."
Ruvalcaba will join the New York attack which already consists of Cade Cowell and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting. The pace of Cowell and Ruvalcaba on the flanks should complement the strength and finishing ability of Choupo-Moting well ahead of the start of the 2026 MLS season.
On Monday, Feb. 2, Red Bull New York will hold a press conference with Head Coach Michael Bradley, defender Dylan Nealis and midfielder Ronald Donkor. The presser is open to media and will be held at 1:30 PM EST.
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: