On a cold rainy Monday afternoon in East Hanover, Sammy Castellanos sits down in the coaching office where it all started to discuss the engine of recent success for the New York Red Bulls academy — the Individual Development Program.
From the first breath the passion for the project is clear from the Philly native who cut his teeth coaching in the greater Tampa area and later at Orlando City. Initially joining the Red Bulls Academy as head coach for the U19s, when that age group was eliminated during a restructuring two years ago, Castellanos was invited to head up a new skills development clinic that would have ripple effects of the entire academy structure.