Tampa Bay Teammates Reunited in D.C.
Rowdies Academy product and Tampa native Santi Castañeda made his return to the States this week. He arrived to Washington D.C. with the rest of the SC Paderborn squad on Friday September 25th for a week of training in the area during the extended international window.
While in D.C., the newly promoted Bundesliga club took advantage of the countless sightseeing opportunities in the city, visiting the monuments and getting tours of the Capitol Building and the White House. Other activities included a Commanders game, a visit to the University of Maryland soccer program, and a stop at a local elementary school.
Of course, the trip culminated in a friendly on Wednesday October 30th against DC United. While Rowdies fans weren’t thrilled at Conner Antley’s early recall from loan by the DC club, it presented a fascinating opportunity to see two former Rowdies take the pitch against each other. Fun fact: Antley and Castañeda shared the pitch on the day the latter made his professional debut. Conner and Santi both came on as substitutes in a 6-0 Rowdies drubbing of The Villages in 2022 Open Cup play (Tate Johnson would also make his pro debut that night). How things change in just four years!
On Wednesday however, Castañeda would be subbed off in the 58th minute. Naturally, Antley would be brought on immediately after. We didn’t get to see them face off, but they were able to exchange plenty of words and swap jerseys on the field after the 1-0 victory for Paderborn.
Castañeda’s rise in Germany has been nothing short of incredible. From playing The Villages in 2022 to playing Borussia Dortmund in 2026, he’s had a fascinating journey and has been making plenty of waves across the German and American soccer landscapes—and he’s only 21! He’s already made an incredible impact on Paderborn, helping them to secure a rare Bundesliga appearance this season. He knows it’ll be a challenge, but it’s one he and the club feel more than ready for. The future is bright for the diamond of the Rowdies Academy project.
See my 10 minute conversation with Santi (with a guest appearance from Conner Antley) following the DC United-Paderborn match:
