Red Bull New York Announces Signing of Defender Robert Voloder

After several weeks of speculation, Red Bull New York has officially brought in its newest defender with the club announcing the signing of 24-year-old center back Robert Voloder on Monday.

The German defender spent the last four seasons with Sporting Kansas City as a U-22 Initiative signing, amassing 65 league appearances between 2022 and 2025, including 16 starts last season despite suffering a broken collarbone that kept him out for the summer.

With the departures of center backs Sean Nealis and later Alexander Hack, Voloder joins Noah Eile and Tim Parker in a small center back room for RBNY. It is unclear if the club is looking to improve the position further before the start of the 2026 MLS season at the end of February. New York's first preseason exhibition match is set for nine days from the time of publishing.

Joe Pantorno of amNewYork, who initially reported the club's interest in Voloder after the news was initially broken by @MostlyBullNY on Twitter, revealed that the player will compete with Parker for starting minutes alongside Eile in the center of New York's defense.

Crucially, he will count as a domestic player per MLS's roster rules as Voloder acquired his green card ahead of the 2024 MLS season.

It remains to be seen if New York will bring in an additional center back as depth, but worth noting that Dylan Nealis and Justin Che, while both primarily right backs, can and have played as central defenders in the past.