MLS Talking Points: Pareja expects Castillo back in Dallas

• by Paul Kennedy  @pkedit, Aug 1, 2016

FC Dallas leads the MLS Supporters' Shield but finds itself competing on two other fronts. It hosts Real Esteli of Nicaragua in its first match in Concacaf Champions League on Thursday and travels to the LA Galaxy the Wednesday after that in the semifinals of the U.S. Open Cup. With that in mind, the collapse of Fabian Castillo's transfer deal to Trabzonspor and expected return to Dallas came as good news.

Castillo, who has scored 35 goals in 160 games over six seasons for FC Dallas, arrived in Turkey for a medical exam at Trabzonspor and was literally swept off his feet by fans who picked him up and put him on their shoulders at the airport.

SI.com's Brian Straus reported that the deal called for Trabzonspor to pay around $4 million -- $2 million now, $2 million in January, making it a loan deal. But ESPN analyst Taylor Twellman revealed during Sunday's Seattle-LA Galaxy broadcast that the deal was "dead."

"There is a lot of news and tweets and pictures, and a lot of stuff, which is not rare," Pareja said of the Castillo rumors. "It's normal with a player with that capacity, and a player that is feeling wanted around the world, so I don't find that rare. At the same time, I want you to know that there has not been an agreement between the clubs, and I expect to have Fabian back and into our training. That's what we want. He's very welcomed and very loved here in this community and this team. We always want the best for Fabian, always the best for him. You know that I love him like my son, and I will do everything that's possible to keep helping him to be the player that he wants to be."

Pareja helped bring his countryman from Colombia in 2011. Castillo played for Deportivo Cali, the same club Pareja played for before moving to MLS in 1998.

"At this moment," added the third-year FC Dallas coach, "we are just thinking about Real Esteli, and then we will think about the Open Cup, Semifinal and then we will wait for Kansas City, and I will train these guys. Fabian should be back, and we will wait, but first -- team. The team is first and that is my priority."