RBNY Rumors 1/28: Jimmy Mulligan Becomes Head Scout, Jorge Ruvalcaba Interest Heating Up & More

It's a loaded day of Red Bull New York rumors. Another front office hire, news out of Mexico of a potential signing and RBNY II have identified another young international.

Let's start from the top:

Red Bulls Close to Finalizing Deal for Pumas Winger Jorge Ruvalcaba

Sources, both local and out of Mexico, have confirmed that Pumas winger Jorge Ruvalcaba is in advanced talks to join Red Bull New York on a permanent transfer, with Joe Pantorno of amNewYork confirming that the player will count as a Designated Player for at least the 2026 season.

Speculation regarding the 24-year-old Mexican-American winger making a move stateside began in the last week or so when it was revealed by @MostlyBullNY on Twitter that Ruvalcaba had followed RBNY on Instagram.

Ruvalcaba has made 84 Liga MX appearances with UNAM (and over 100 in all competitions) since joining the club in 2022, scoring 14 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.

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.

Prior to joining Pumas, the Rialto, California native played NCAA Division II soccer at Cal State San Bernardino in 2020 and Ocelot Academy of the UPSL. He spent the 2023-24 season on loan at SL16 FC, the reserve side of Belgian Pro League side Standard Liège. He was reportedly close to joining Liga MX champions Toluca midway through 2025, but the talks never materialized.

Sources indicate that the player could be headed to New Jersey as early as this weekend to undergo his medical and complete the signing.

It is unclear at the moment the finances behind the agreement, with Antonio Camacho reporting a fee of $6.5 million. A figure this high would put Ruvalcaba in the DP range for New York, as Pantorno confirmed.

This is despite the fact that New York could theoretically buy Ruvalcaba's contract down using either TAM (depending on availability) or GAM, given the club's current financial situation. According to SalarySport.com, Ruvalcaba makes a baseline salary of $292,084 at Pumas. 

However, if Head of Sport Julian de Guzman is as committed to adding to this roster as he has claimed to be, it would be difficult to add more supplemental pieces into the squad if all the TAM and GAM is being used on one player's transfer fee.

If the $6.5 million evaluation is correct, it would be New York's second-highest incoming transfer fee in history according to Transfermarkt and Pumas's fourth-highest outgoing transfer fee ever.

RBNY Hires Jimmy Mulligan as New Head of Scouting

RBNY's front office overhaul continues with another internal promotion, with Tom Bogert of The Athletic the first to reveal that Jimmy Mulligan has been promoted to Head Scout of the club.

Mulligan, who has been with New York since 2019, receives his promotion after a full season as Scouting Coordinator alongside first-team scout Juan Rueda. Previously, he was a scout for five seasons.

Before joining RBNY, Mulligan was an accomplished full back in his playing days, featuring for the New York Cosmos of the NASL and Portland Timbers 2 of the USL. He played NCAA Division college soccer for St. John's from 2009-2013, captaining the team as a senior.

Source: RBNY II Interested in Brazilian forward Leandro Kauã

More young internationals appear to be headed RBNY II's way, with Camila Sousa of Globo reporting that RBNY is interested in Brazilian forward Leandro Kauã of Brazilian Serie B club Náutico. 

The 20-year-old striker spent last season on loan with Internacional's U-20's. He joins a growing list of young players from abroad on RBNY II's radar.

Sources: Ethan Horvath Move To RBNY Agreed

BBC Sport Wales and Pete O'Rourke of Football Insider 24/7 have confirmed that Cardiff City goalkeeper Ethan Horvath has agreed to personal terms with RBNY. 

The 30-year-old is in New Jersey to undergo his medical examination and complete the move.

Marcelo Morales Return to U de Chile Confirmed; Loan with Option to Buy

In a statement released by the club today, left back Marcelo Morales has completed his move to Universidad de Chile, a season-long loan with option to buy.

This leaves Raheem Edwards and Omar Valencia as RBNY's lone left full backs on the roster.

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: