FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Revolution has signed forward Geoffrey Castillion. The 23-year-old former Dutch youth international last played for NEC Nijmegen in the Dutch Eredivisie, appearing in nine games while on loan to the club from Ajax, scoring twice. Castillion, who will wear the No. 39 shirt, will be added to the Revs’ roster upon receipt of his P1 Visa and his International Transfer Certificate.
“Geoffrey is a big, strong target forward with several years of experience in the Dutch first division,” Revolution general manager Michael Burns said. “He will add a different dynamic to our attack and also give us more options up front. Once he finalizes the immigration process, we’re looking forward to getting him right into training.”
A native of Amsterdam, Castillion is a product of the famed Ajax Youth Academy and made his first team debut for the club under manager Frank De Boer in March 2011, coming on as a second half substitute against ADO Den Haag. He spent the 2011-12 Eredivisie on loan with RKC Waalwijk, scoring seven times in 33 games in all competitions while helping the club achieve a ninth place finish in the league in their first season after being promoted from the Eerste Divisie, which is the second division of Dutch soccer. Castillion went on loan again the following year, staying in the Eredivisie with Heracles Almelo. He scored four times in 33 appearances for the club’s first team while adding 13 goals in just 12 appearances for the Heracles reserves.
Castillion split his time last season between the Ajax reserves, who play in the Eerste Divisie, and NEC in the Eredivisie. He spent the first half of the season with Ajax, making six appearances with the reserves, scoring once before joining NEC on loan in January 2014. He scored twice in seven league appearances for NEC, debuting as a second half substitute on January 19 against ADO Den Haag, while also making a pair of substitute appearances for the club in the quarterfinals and the semifinals of the Dutch Cup.
In addition to his club career in the Netherlands, Castillion also represented the country internationally at the U-17, U-18 and U-19 levels. He was a member of the Dutch team that reached the semifinals of the 2008 UEFA Under-17 Championship, scoring two of the four goals that the Netherlands scored in the competition.
TRANSACTION: New England Revolution (MLS) – Signed F Geoffrey Castillion on a free transfer.
GEOFFREY CASTILLION
Position: Forward
Height: 6-3
Weight: 170 lbs.
Date of Birth: May 25, 1991 (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
Hometown: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Last Club: NEC Nijmegen (NED)
Nationality: Netherlands
Pronunciation: JOFF-ree cah-steel-YOHN
Jersey Number: 39
Acquired: Signed with the Revolution on August 25, 2014
