The dangerous and aggressive FC Dallas attack is no longer a secret.
But even with advanced scouting reports on the club, the speed of 22-year-old midfielder Fabian Castillo is something that is becoming seemingly unstoppable by opposing units. In every game this season, the young Colombian has made highlight-reel worthy plays by consistently evading defenders with his fancy ball skills and blistering pace down the left wing.
“There’s a lot of different ways of being fast on the field,” Castillo told MLSSoccer.com through a translator. “I’m really fast with the ball at my feet. I’m probably faster than [most] others with the ball at my feet.”
His skills have directly led to three goals for the club, one from him and two from teammates. But given the chances he has carved out for himself and his team, those numbers are actually much lower than they could be.
“He’s creating opportunities, which is the most difficult part,” head coach Oscar Pareja said. “The other part is finalizing the product and just getting those things done."
Before Pareja arrived in Dallas, Castillo scored a combined 10 goals in his first three seasons with the club. Once Pareja took over in 2014, Castillo matched that total in just one season while also adding four assists.
Four games into this young season, Castillo is already on pace to reach last year’s totals, which could lead to even bigger things for Dallas’ young star.
“If we can increase it this year and then keep putting numbers there and finalizing him scoring goals, I think we’ll have a player that can easily be sold to Europe for I don’t know how many millions, which is great for him and great for the club,” Pareja said.
While Pareja acknowledged the previous coaching staff’s commitment to helping Castillo grow, the tutelage of the second-year coach cannot be overlooked. Pareja's track record of maximizing the potential of young MLS talent is growing, from Castillo and 2014 rookie of the year Tesho Akindele last season to Ryan Hollingshead this year.
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Even Castillo himself recognizes the impact his coach has had on his game.
“Since Oscar came here, I’ve improved probably 80 percent from the player I was before,” Castillo said. “And I see there is a lot of space to continue to grow.”
And because of Castillo’s youthful age, Pareja believes his Colombian winger has yet to reach his full potential.
“Despite the number of games he has [played], he’s young,” Pareja said. “That’s a good element to think about [when it comes to] his ceiling.”
