Dennis Esteban Castillo Romero (born April 30, 1993) is a

Costa Rica Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...

n former

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

. Prior to playing for Sporting, Castillo played for Pérez Zeledón in Liga FPD, the

Colorado Rapids The Colorado Rapids are an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Denver metropolitan area. The Rapids compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. Founded in ...

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...

and the

Charlotte Independence Charlotte Independence is an American soccer team based in Charlotte, North Carolina, that plays in the USL League One, the third tier of the American soccer pyramid. The Independence currently play their home games at American Legion Memoria ...

in the

United Soccer League The United Soccer League (USL) is an organizer of various professional and amateur soccer leagues in the United States league system. It currently organizes its Championship, League One, and League Two for men, its Super League and W Leag ...

. Castillo also played

college soccer College soccer, called college football in some countries, is played by teams composed of soccer players who are enrolled in colleges and universities. While it is most widespread in the United States, it is also prominent in Japan, South Kore ...

for the

VCU Rams The VCU Rams are the college athletics, athletic teams of Virginia Commonwealth University of Richmond, Virginia, United States. The Rams compete in NCAA Division I, Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association as members of the Atl ...

, and was part of the development academy for

Deportivo Saprissa Deportivo Saprissa is a Costa Rican sports club, mostly known for its Association football, football team. The club is based in San Juan de Tibás, San José, Costa Rica, San José, and play their home games at the Estadio Ricardo Saprissa Aym ...

, one of the top clubs in Costa Rica.

Career

Youth and college

Castillo signed a letter of intent to play for

Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) is a Public university, public research university in Richmond, Virginia, United States. VCU was founded in 1838 as the medical department of Hampden–Sydney College, becoming the Medical College of Virgin ...

's men's soccer program. In his freshman year, Castillo was an immediate starter and a third captain, starting all 18 matches during the 2012 season. He netted six goals in his freshman year, with his first coming on August 30, 2012, against UMBC. Ultimately, he was part of a squad that was ranked as high as 14th in the nation, and helped the Rams earn their first NCAA Tournament berth for the first time since 2004. His freshman year success earned him several allocates including the 2012 All-Atlantic 10 Second Team and 2012 Atlantic 10 All-Rookie squad. Nationally, Castillo was tabbed by CollegeSoccerNews.com as a Freshman All-American and was selected by the

National Soccer Coaches Association of America The United Soccer Coaches (formerly known as the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)) is an organization of United States, American soccer Coach (sport), coaches founded in 1941. It is the largest soccer coaches organization i ...

to the Second Team All-Mid-Atlantic Region. During his sophomore year, Castillo remained a starter and scored six goals and had an assist in the 21 matches he played in 2013. He helped the Rams earn a national ranking as high as eighth in the nation, their highest in over 10 years, and helped the Rams qualify for a second-consecutive NCAA Tournament berth. As a sophomore, Castillo earned All-Atlantic 10 First Team, the NSCAA All-Mid Atlantic Region First Team, and VaSID All-State First Team. In his junior year, he captained the Rams and was part of a defense that ranked 11th in the nation in goals scored. During his senior year, he helped the Rams reach the 2015 Atlantic 10 Men's Soccer Tournament championship game, and was named with conference honors.

Professional

On January 11, 2016, Castillo was selected 37th overall in the

2016 MLS SuperDraft The 2016 MLS SuperDraft was the seventeenth SuperDraft conducted by Major League Soccer. The SuperDraft is held each year in conjunction with the annual National Soccer Coaches Association of America convention. The 2016 convention was held in ...

. He made his debut on April 23, 2016, coming on for Eric Miller in the 60th minute. Castillo had an assist in his debut assisting Kevin Doyle in a 3–1 victory over visiting

Seattle Sounders FC Seattle Sounders FC is an American professional association football, soccer club based in Seattle. The Sounders compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The club was established on ...

. On April 28, 2016, it was announced that Castillo would go on a season-long loan to

of the

. However, after one game he returned to the Rapids. On June 22, 2016, Castillo made his first MLS start for Colorado, playing in the entire 90 minutes in a 1–1 draw at LA Galaxy. His contracted option was declined by Colorado at the end of the 2017 season. On January 5, 2018, Castillo signed with Pérez Zeledón in his native Costa Rica.

Honors

* PDL Defensive Player of the Year: 2015

References

External links

VCU Profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Castillo, Dennis 1993 births People from Desamparados (canton) Living people 21st-century Costa Rican sportsmen Men's association football defenders Costa Rican men's footballers VCU Rams men's soccer players Capital FC players Colorado Rapids players Colorado Rapids draft picks Charlotte Independence players A.D. Municipal Pérez Zeledón footballers Major League Soccer players USL League Two players Liga FPD players Costa Rican expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States Costa Rican expatriate sportspeople in the United States