Midfielder

Hometown: Parral, Mexico
Nationality: Mexico
Previous Club: New Mexico United
Joined Republic FC: March 30, 2026 (Free Agent, 25-day contract)

Career Bio

Rivas was selected 26^th overall in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft by the San Jose Earthquakes and later signed with their USL affiliate Reno 1868 FC. Across two seasons in Reno, he added four goals and four assists in 33 appearances. In 2020, Rivas returned to his native Albuquerque to play for New Mexico United and played a key role in the Black & Yellow’s rise up the league power rankings. Playing mainly as an attacking midfielder, he tallied 17 goals and 11 assists in nearly 150 appearances during his five-season stint with the club.

Hometown: Takoradi, Ghana
Nationality: Ghana
Previous Club: St. Johnstone FC
Joined Republic FC: February 25, 2026 (transfer)

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Career Bio

Essel began his professional career in his home country of Ghana and featured for Bechem United FC of the Ghana Premier League from 2021-2024, where he made 68 appearances. In 2024, he signed with Scottish Premiership side St. Johnstone FC. All across competitions – including league play, Challenge Cup, and League Cup, Essel made 20 appearances and added a goal and an assist.

The 20-year-old spent the 2025 season in the U.S. on loan to MLS NEXT Pro side North Texas SC. In 17 appearances, he recorded two goals and one assist and ranked second on the team with an impressive 86% passing accuracy. He also converted his three attempts for North Texas in penalty shootout victories during the season.

Essel continues to flourish on the international stage as well. He has featured at multiple age levels in the Africa Cup of Nations, most recently with the U-20 team last May. Later that month, he earned his first call up to Ghana’s senior National Team for an international friendly against Nigeria earned his first cap.

Hometown: Wharton, Texas
Nationality: United States
Previous Club: Sporting Kansas City
Joined Republic FC: February 21, 2026 (Free Agent)

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Career Bio

Memo’s path to the pros began with the Houston Dynamo Academy in 2011. With 18 goals in 83 total appearances, he became a two-time Dynamo Academy Player of the Year before signing a Homegrown Player deal with the Dynamo ahead of the 2015 season. He spent his first two seasons with Dynamo affiliates Charleston Battery and Rio Grande Valley before returning to Houston in 2017.

From there, Rodriguez became a mainstay in the Dynamo first team lineup and etched his name into club history as the homegrown player with the most all-time appearances. In six seasons and 147 appearances across all competitions – including MLS, U.S. Open Cup, Leagues Cup and Concacaf Champions League – he recorded 21 goals and 10 assists. In 2018, he added three goals and one assist to help the Dynamo win its first Open Cup title.

Memo spent the 2023 season with LA Galaxy and Austin FC before signing with Sporting Kansas City in 2024. In his two seasons with Sporting, he scored three goals and added five assists in 51 appearances across MLS, Open Cup, and Concacaf Champions Cup.

Milestones & Honors

• 2018 U.S. Open Cup Champion (Houston Dynamo)

Hometown: Ontario, Canada
Nationality: Canada
Previous Club: San Jose Earthquakes
Joined Republic FC: February 20, 2026 (Free Agent)

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Career Bio

Kaye joins the Indomitable Club after a lone season with San Jose Earthquakes. He was acquired by the Bay Area club ahead of the 2025 campaign in a trade with New England Revolution including two other players for $500,000 in general allocation money. Last year, he featured in 30 of 37 matches for San Jose – and started one-third of the matches where he was part of the team sheet.

The 31-year-old standout has established himself as one of the most-consistent two-way midfielders in American soccer. After spending the early years of his career in USL, winning the league championship with Louisville City in 2017, Kaye was named to Los Angeles FC’s inaugural 2018 roster. As a member of the Black & Gold, Kaye emerged as a starter and in 2019 was a central figure in a historic campaign that saw LAFC capture the Supporters’ Shield with a then-league record 72 points. In 31 league appearances, he scored four goals and added eight assists to earn a selection to the MLS All-Star Team. Kaye continued to be a regular contributor in 2020 as LAFC advanced to the Concacaf Champions League Final. Across four seasons in Los Angeles, he made 89 appearances with nine goals and 17 assists across all competitions, including three consecutive playoff appearances.

He continued his career with stints at Colorado Rapids, Toronto FC, and New England Revolution, where he continued to serve as a leader and consistent contributor.  Across his entire MLS career, Kaye has made 201 appearances in league and postseason play with 16 goals and 26 assists, as well as a stellar 85% passing accuracy.

On the international stage, Kaye earned his position in a rising Canadian side. Since his debut in 2017, Canada has climbed the FIFA rankings from 93 up to 26^th in the world. During that time, Mark logged 40 senior caps – including 5 goal contributions during qualification to help Canada reach its second ever World Cup berth.  In addition to World Cup play, he has represented Canada in the Concacaf Gold Cup, Concacaf Nations League, and various international friendlies.

Milestones & Honors

• 2019 MLS All-Star (LAFC)
• 2019 MLS Supporters’ Shield Winner (LAFC)
• 2017 USL Championship Title Winner (Louisville City FC)

Hometown: Barcelona, Spain
Nationality: Spain
Previous Club: Huntsville City FC
Joined Republic FC: January 28, 2026 (Free Agent)

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Career Bio

A native of Barcelona, Spain, Casas got his start in FC Barcelona’s famed youth academy, La Masia. He later made the move to English club Ipswich Town before closing out his youth career in Spain with CE Europa. The 25-year-old came to the United States to begin his collegiate career Indiana Tech before transferring to University of North Carolina Wilmington. With the Seahawks, he appeared in every game possible and recorded two goals and two assists, and earned selection to the 2023 Coastal Athletic Association Second Team.

In 2024, Casas was selected 61^st overall in the MLS SuperDraft by Inter Miami CF. He made two MLS appearances for the club before joining Inter Miami CF II. With the MLS NEXT Pro side, he made 25 appearances and added two assists, while maintaining an impressive 86% passing accuracy. Last year, he joined Nashville SC’s reserve side Huntsville City FC and played over 2,000 minutes to help the team reach the postseason for the first time. He closed out the season with a stellar 91% pass success rate.de Reading United FC from 2016 to 2018 and helped them reach the 2018 National Championship Final.

Hometown: Kutztown, Pennsylvania
Nationality: United States
Previous Club: Spokane Velocity FC
Joined Republic FC: December 17, 2025 (Free Agent)

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Career Bio

Reedy spent the last two seasons with USL League One club Spokane Velocity, where he helped the expansion team reach back-to-back appearances in the league Final. Across all competitions, he recorded 35 appearances, four goals, and five assists. Earlier this year, the Pennsylvania native was selected as the Player of the Week after adding a goal and two assists against Westchester.

He previously featured in USL Championship for Charleston Battery in 2023. He joined the Eastern Conference team midway through the season and helped them close out the campaign in strong form to finish third in the table, a nine-point improvement from the previous year. Charleston would go on to claim its first-ever Eastern Conference Championship.

In 2022, he signed his first professional contract for Real Monarchs. He made 18 appearances MLS NEXT Pro appearances and was also called up to Real Salt Lake on a short-term loan that included two appearances. At the end of the 2022 season, Reedy trialed with Scottish Championship side Dundee FC before earning a contract for the second half of the season. He went on to make four appearances to help Dundee earn promotion back to the Scottish Premiership.

Before attending Penn State, Reedy was a member of New York Red Bulls youth academy. The three-year captain recorded 70 appearances, 9 goals, and 15 assists for the Nittany Lions, earning five All-American selections. In 2021, he was awarded the Big Ten Medal of Honor, one of the most prestigious student-athlete awards in the country. He also featured for USL League Two side Reading United FC from 2016 to 2018 and helped them reach the 2018 National Championship Final.

Hometown: San Luis Potosi, Mexico
Nationality: Mexico
Previous Club: Charleston Battery
Joined Republic FC: December 11, 2025 (Free Agent)

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Career Bio

Rodriguez comes to the Indomitable Club after three seasons with Eastern Conference powerhouse Charleston Battery. Since 2023, he has recorded 13 goals and 16 assists in 94 appearances for the Battery, and led the team with 134 chances created – ranked eighth in the league over the last three seasons. Charleston reached the postseason in each season Rodriguez was with the club, including back-to-back Eastern Conference Final appearances and a Conference Championship in 2023. Last season, he earned three Team of the Week selections for his performance in Charleston’s league-leading 68-goal campaign.

The 26-year-old burst onto the American soccer scene in his first pro season in 2019. After featuring for the FC Dallas Youth Academy – and scoring the game-winning goal in the club’s first-ever Dallas Cup title win in 2017, Rodriguez joined Dallas’ USL League One affiliate North Texas SC for its inaugural season. In his rookie year, he was selected as the League One MVP and Young Player of the Year after claiming the Golden Playmaker award with 10 assists. He also added eight goals, including the game-winning goal that led North Texas to lift the championship trophy, earning him the Final MVP honor.

Rodriguez’ career includes stops with Real Monarchs in 2020, and Phoenix Rising in 2021-2022. Across USL Championship and USL Cup play, he has amassed 19 goals and 24 assists in 143 appearances.

Milestones & Honors

• 2023 USL Championship Eastern Conference Champion (Charleston Battery)
• 2017 USL League One Champion (North Texas SC)
• 2017 USL League One MVP (North Texas SC)
• 2017 USL League One Young Player of the Year (North Texas SC)
• 2017 USL League One Final MVP (North Texas SC)

Pronunciation: Cris-ahs-to-mo
Hometown: Fontana, California
Nationality: United States
Previous Club: Tampa Bay Rowdies
Joined Republic FC: December 4, 2025 (Free Agent)

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Career Bio

Crisostomo returns to his native California following a two-year stint with the Tampa Bay Rowdies. During the 2024-25 seasons, he recorded three goals and four assists in league, playoff, and USL Cup play, and earned three Team of the Week selections. He led the Rowdies with an 87.7% passing accuracy, 86 tackles won, and 239 possessions won, and was among the team’s top five players in appearances and chances created.

The 28-year-old came up through some of the most notable youth systems on the West Coast including Chivas USA and LA Galaxy. After a standout four-year career at UC Irvine where he was named the 2018 Big West Conference Midfielder of the Year, Danny signed his first pro contract with USL Championship side Orange County SC in 2019. He went on to make 45 appearances across two seasons before joining the Las Vegas Lights in 2021.

After impressing at the USL level, Crisostomo was signed by the Lights’ MLS affiliate Los Angeles FC midway through the 2021 season and made 10 appearances to help LAFC win its first MLS Cup. When he returned to Vegas in 2022, he added three goals and a team-best seven assists to lead the squad to its best season in club history at the time. Danny rejoined LAFC in 2023 and spent the season between the first team and MLS NEXT Pro side LAFC2. Across all competitions – including regular season, Leagues Cup, and Concacaf Champions League, he made 15 appearances.

Milestones & Honors

• 2021 MLS Cup Champion (LAFC)

Hometown: Sacramento, California
Nationality: United States
Previous Club: Republic FC Youth Academy
Joined Republic FC: November 17, 2023 (signed pro contract out of Republic FC Youth Academy)

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Career Bio

Had a breakout year in 2025. Became the second youngest player to start for SRFC in a season opener and went on to make 44 appearances across all competitions. In league play, he set a new record for homegrown players with 27 appearances, 19 starts, and 1,590 minutes. He added 3 assists (recorded his first career assist on July 4) and earned 2 Team of the Week selections.

Was named to the U.S. U-18 Men’s National Team for the 2025 UEFA Friendship Cup and played in all 4 matches to help the team win the Championship trophy. Was later selected to the U-19 team alongside Chibi Ukaegbu for training camp & international friendlies in Wales.

Made his pro debut on March 16, 2024 – became the 6th academy graduate to debut for the club.

A Sacramento native, Willey signed a professional contract in November 2022 after featuring in the club’s Youth Development Academy since he was ten years old. In 2023, he was a member of Republic FC’s 2023 roster on an Academy Contract, being selected twice to the matchday roster for USL Championship contests and trained with the first team throughout the season.

The midfielder was voted the team MVP of Sacramento’s U-15 side for the 2021-22 Academy season, when his squad advanced to the semifinals of MLS NEXT Cup, the only non-MLS club to reach that phase of the tournament. Since 2022, he has earned three call-ups to the United States Youth National Team – twice to the U-16’s, including a trip to Spain for an international tournament where he was the only representative from a USL-affiliated academy squad – and once to the U-17’s in October 2023.

Milestones & Honors

• Called into U.S. U-19 Men’s Youth National Team Training Camp (November 2025)
• 2025 UEFA Friendship Cup Champion – U.S. U-18 Men’s National Team (May 2025)
• Called into U.S. U-17 Men’s Youth National Team Training Camp (October 2023)
• Called into U.S. U-16 Boys’ National Team Training Camp (August 2022, November 2022)