Rafael Arlex Castillo (born June 6, 1980) is a Colombian

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 ...

who plays as a

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

. He previously played for the former

San Antonio Scorpions The San Antonio Scorpions were an American professional soccer team based in San Antonio, Texas. Founded in 2010, the team made its debut in the North American Soccer League in 2012. The Scorpions played at Toyota Field, a soccer specific stadi ...

of the NASL and the

Colombia national football team The Colombia national football team (), nicknamed ''Los Cafeteros,'' represents Colombia in men's international Association football, football and is managed by the Colombian Football Federation, Federación Colombiana de Fútbol (), the govern ...

between 2001 and 2003. He is known for his tenacious style of play despite his diminutive stature. His past clubs include

Real Cartagena Real Cartagena is a professional Colombian football team based in Cartagena, that currently plays in the Categoría Primera B. They play their home games at the Jaime Morón León stadium. History The origins of Real Cartagena date back to 197 ...

(Colombia),

Independiente Medellín Deportivo Independiente Medellín, also known as Independiente Medellín or DIM, is a Colombian professional football club (association football), football club based in Medellín that currently plays in the Categoría Primera A. They play their ...

(Colombia), Al-Ahly (

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

) and

Deportivo Pereira Deportivo Pereira is a professional Colombian football team based in Pereira, that currently plays in the Categoría Primera A. They play their home games at the Hernán Ramírez Villegas stadium. History Early years While there are several am ...

(Colombia).

San Antonio Scorpions

Castillo was a mid-season acquisition for the Scorpions. He was brought in between the Spring and Fall 2014

North American Soccer League The North American Soccer League (NASL) was the top-level major professional soccer league in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984. It is considered the first soccer league to be successful on a national scale in the ...

seasons and immediately started. He played attacking midfield for the Scorpions and helped lead the team to the 2014 NASL Championship. In only half a season, he led the team in goals scored for the entire year. In the

Soccer Bowl 2014 NASL Championship Final 2014 was the North American Soccer League's postseason championship match of the 2014 season to determine the NASL Champion. The event was contested in a one-game match between the San Antonio Scorpions ( Fall Season cha ...

, Castillo executed a stunning

Bicycle kick In association football, a bicycle kick, also known as an overhead kick or scissors kick, is an acrobatic strike where a player kicks an airborne ball rearward in midair. It is achieved by throwing the body backward up into the air and, before ...

to open the scoring. The San Antonio Scorpions would go on to win the game 2-1. Castillo's effort in the final also included an assist to Billy Forbes on a sublime through-ball that split the defense. He remained with San Antonio until the club ceased operations in December 2015.

San Antonio FC

Castillo signed with 2016

USL USL may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Underground Sound of Lisbon, a Portuguese dance music project * Urban Strawberry Lunch, a band from Liverpool Companies * United Spirits Limited, India * Former United States Lines shipping company C ...

expansion club,

San Antonio FC San Antonio FC is a professional soccer club based in San Antonio, Texas. It competes in the USL Championship, the second-highest level of the United States soccer league system, as a member of the Western Conference. History San Antonio FC ...

on February 4, 2016.

Honours

Independiente Medellín *

Categoría Primera A The Categoría Primera A (), commonly referred to as Liga BetPlay Dimayor due to Sponsor (commercial), sponsorship by online betting company BetPlay, is a professional association football league in Colombia and the highest level of the Colombian ...

: 2004-I, Al Ahly *

Egyptian Premier League The Egyptian Premier League (), also known as the Nile League () for sponsorship reasons, after the addition of title sponsor Nile Developments, is a professional association football league in Egypt and the highest level of the Egyptian football ...

: 2004–05 2009-II * MVP Soccer Bowl: 2014

References

External links

* * *
Rafael Castillo in Independiente Medellín Official Website
* * 1980 births Living people Colombian men's footballers Colombia men's international footballers Deportivo Pereira footballers Atlético Nacional footballers Atlético Bucaramanga footballers Independiente Medellín footballers Al Ahly SC players Millonarios F.C. players Deportes Quindío footballers Atlético Huila footballers Deportes Tolima footballers Real Cartagena footballers Llaneros F.C. players San Antonio Scorpions players San Antonio FC players Colombian expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Egypt Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States North American Soccer League (2011–2017) players Egyptian Premier League players Categoría Primera A players Men's association football midfielders Footballers from Pereira, Colombia 21st-century Colombian sportsmen {{Colombia-footy-midfielder-stub