Meet Edgar Castillo

With Jay Demerit out with an eye injury and Chad Marshall likely sidelined by a knee injury, the US backline is somewhat depleted heading into the final rounds of Hex matches. Because of the aforementioned injuries to centerbacks, Carlos Bocanegra will likely pair with Oguchi Onyewu in the center out of necessity. This means, in turn, that Bocanegra will not be playing left back, leaving the spot up for grabs between the Jonathans, Bornstein and Spector. Bornstein, who plays left back for Chivas USA, had a solid second half performance in the USMNT's crucial road victory over Trinidad & Tobago last month, but his play earlier in that match and against El Salvador have made a number of Nats fans leery of putting the UCLA product into the starting XI.

Spector, meanwhile, has been used primarily as a right back in his international career, but has played some as a left back for West Ham. Playing Spector on the left would mean that Steve Cherundolo would likely be the starting right back. Regardless of the solution, it still remains obvious that left back is a position at which the US lacks significant depth. That could be where Edgar Castillo comes into the mix, as the recent addition to the US player pool might provide added strength to a position that has been a soft spot for several years.

Castillo recently took advantage of FIFA's rule change that allows players of any age to switch national teams so long as they have not played in any competitive senior international matches for the first country. Castillo, who is of Mexican descent but born and raised in Las Cruces, New Mexico, originally chose to represent El Tri. He played in four friendlies and was even called in for a pair of World Cup qualifiers in the spring, but could not travel with the team because he lost his Mexican passport.

This summer, Castillo made it known that he would like to play for the United States, saying "I want to represent the country where I was born, the place where I live." The necessary paperwork was filed and Castillo was cleared by FIFA last month to play for the United States.

Castillo began his professional career south of the border with Santos Laguna. He played with the club from 2006 to January of 2009, making 78 appearances and scoring 3 goals. His play earned him a transfer to fabled Mexican giants Club America. Castillo was loaned out to Tigres this summer and has made a number of appearances for his new club, including the SuperLiga final against the Chicago Fire.

As a leftback, Castillo possesses quality attacking abilities, which could significantly add to what can be a very stagnant American offense. While it is unlikely that Castillo sees playing time in either of the last two qualifiers because of the magnitude of the situation and his lack of experience with the USMNT players and coaches, it will be interesting to see if Bob Bradley calls him into the camp to get him integrated into the National Team picture.

Though Castillo likely will not play a part in October's qualifiers, he might be able to work his way into the conversation for a World Cup roster spot by next summer if he shines with the Nats. He has yet to prove himself at the international level, which is a whole other level from friendlies and club play, but many Nats fans will be hoping that he can add some depth to the US backline for years to come.