Philadelphia Union II Send José Riasco on Loan to Carabobo F.C. for 2025
The 21-year-old forward returns to his home country on a season-long loan after spending time in Uruguay on loan last season.
Chester, Pa. — Philadelphia Union II announced that they have loaned forward José Riasco to Venezuelan side Carabobo F.C. for the 2025 season.
Riasco, 21, was originally signed by Union II on March 23, 2022, for a reported fee of $1 million. He made his debut for the club on April 24, 2022, against Chicago Fire II and scored his first goal on August 14, 2022, against Inter Miami II in a match that ended 2-2 in regulation before Union II won 8-7 on penalties.
Riasco has made 32 appearances (17 starts) for Union II, scoring four goals and providing three assists in 1,632 minutes.
On September 8, 2023, Union II sent Riasco on loan to Club Atlético Boston River of the Uruguayan Primera División. He made 19 appearances (seven starts), scoring two goals and recording two assists in 643 minutes.
Jonathan Tannenwald of The Philadelphia Inquirer reported on January 13, 2025, that the Union had wanted to promote Riasco to the first team in 2023 but were unable to do so because the New York Red Bulls held his discovery rights. The discovery list allows MLS teams to designate up to five non-MLS players, granting them exclusive negotiation rights. Since the Red Bulls had Riasco on their list, the Union would have needed to pay a fee to acquire his rights. However, the Union were unwilling to meet the Red Bulls’ asking price, leading Union II to loan Riasco to Uruguay instead. According to Tannenwald, the Red Bulls have since removed Riasco from their discovery list, making him eligible to sign with the Union.
Internationally, Riasco has represented Venezuela’s U-20 and U-23 national teams. He made nine appearances for the U-20s, scoring one goal in 246 minutes, and played in the 2023 South American U-20 Championship. With the U-23s, he has appeared in five matches, logging 132 minutes, including participating in the 2024 CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament.