Santiago Castañeda's rise in Germany has been as rapid as it was improbable.
The Tampa, Florida native took the long road toward the game's upper echelons, but he has arrived this season as a starter with Bundesliga newcomer SC Paderborn at just 21 years old.
It would have been hard to see this coming just three years ago when Castañeda turned down the chance to play at the University of Michigan in favor of starting his career with MSV Duisburg in Germany’s third tier.
It would have been harder still to envision Castañeda in the Bundesliga a few years before that, when he left Tampa Bay United, which is now in MLS Next, in favor of playing high school soccer.
"It's definitely not a journey you see often," Castañeda tells USA TODAY Sports.
After
arriving in Germany in 2023, Castañeda immediately earned a starting role with Duisburg as an 18-year-old. For a player his age, living abroad for the first time in a country he didn't speak the language, Castañeda's adaptation was unnaturally quick. Especially because, as he says, the 3. Liga is not your average third-tier division.
"You don't think much of [the 3. Liga], especially if you're from the States and you don't know much about soccer in Germany," Castañeda said. "I think a lot of people still underestimate the third division in Germany. It's a great level, high intensity."
The holding midfielder showed enough promise in the third division to earn a move to Paderborn in the 2. Bundesliga after just one season. Castañeda adjusted well to the step up in competition, earning a starting role with his new team. Last season, Paderborn finished third in the 2. Bundesliga and earned promotion after defeating Bundesliga side Wolfsburg in a promotion-relegation playoff.
Once again, Castañeda has maintained a lock on a starting role after another step up the German soccer ladder.
The 6-foot-3 midfielder has started all four matches for Paderborn in its first season in the Bundesliga in six years, and only third ever. The step up to Germany's top flight was initially a wake-up call for Castañeda.
"I think after the first [Bundesliga] game, I just sat there in the locker room after the game, and I was exhausted, like mentally and physically," he said. "It was insane. I never felt like that after a game."
Castañeda is once again proving a quick study, however. Just before the international break, he scored his first Bundesliga goal as Paderborn earned its first win of the season, a 3-1 triumph over Hoffenheim.
Santiago Castañeda scores his first career Bundesliga goal for SC Paderborn! 🇺🇸
— USMNT Otaku 🇺🇸 (@USMNTOtaku) September 20, 2026
[🎥: @TelemundoSports] pic.twitter.com/d7yCwRIaXu
Getting more involved in the attacking phase is a major goal in the Bundesliga for Castañeda, who is renowned for the defensive aspects of his game but still looking to develop a more all-around profile.
"When I was younger, I was more like an No. 8 or 10," he said. "And now on the professional level, I've been more like a holding mid. So I would like to bring that feeling of the attacking phase of my game. And I think in this league and in this season, I would love to take more risk in that phase of the game."
Castañeda still open over international future
During the current international break, Castañeda is with his Paderborn teammates on a trip to Washington D.C., where they will face D.C. United in a friendly on Wednesday, Sept. 30.
The match will be an opportunity for American fans to become more familiar with Paderborn and though Castañeda is looking forward to playing in front of friends and family at Audi Field, he may prefer being elsewhere.
Castañeda is eligible for both Colombia and the United States, but he says he hasn't heard from either senior team yet. His only international experience so far is two call-ups to the U.S. under-21 side, which came in late 2025 and the summer of 2026.
Though Mauricio Pochettino brought a host of newcomers into USMNT camp this month, Castañeda wasn't among them. He's hopeful that he could get a chance in the November window.
"Hopefully next camp something can happen," he said. "Right now I just have to make sure I'm keeping my level high. I'm just staying calm, focusing on myself, and I think the time will come when the time is right."
Castañeda was born and raised in Tampa, the son of Colombian parents. His father Carlos was a former professional in Colombia. With ties to both countries, Castañeda may simply be waiting to see which senior side calls him first.
"I have those those connections and ties to Colombia, you can definitely say it's in my blood." he said. "But growing up in the United States, it also feels like home as well. So I think I'm at a moment where I'm just focusing on myself and whoever calls me first and whoever feels like I'm ready and is a fit, then I feel like that will make the decision a bit easier."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: USMNT or Colombia? Santiago Castaneda thriving after Bundesliga breakthrough
