United States youth national team goalkeeper and Red Bull New York prospect Aidan Stokes is headed to Premier League side Brentford on loan, The Post confirmed on Wednesday.
Stokes, 18, will join Brentford’s Premier League 2 roster, which is the developmental league for England’s top division of soccer. The deal includes an option to purchase his contract.
Daniel Rebain of Area Sports Network was the first to report news of the deal late Tuesday night.
Stokes was raised in Totowa, N.J., and went through the Red Bulls Academy, beginning at the U-15 level and then through the U-17 level. He eventually signed a four-year MLS deal through 2027, with an option for 2028, in April 2023.
He’s been an up-and-comer on the national scene, earning call-ups for the United States’ U-18 camp in March that took place in Portugal and the U-19 camp in May.
Stokes made four appearances for the U-17 squad during the 2025 U-17 World Cup, recording two shutouts and allowing just two goals.
He’s also eligible to compete for Wales and England due to his ancestry and has been called up by both national teams.
He played for Wales’ U-16 squad in 2023 and for England’s in 2024.
Stokes has spent the past three seasons playing for the Red Bulls’ developmental squad, making his MLS Next Pro debut against Philadelphia Union II on April 21, 2024. He started 18 matches during the 2024 season.
He was part of Red Bulls II’s MLS NEXT Pro Cup-winning team in 2025, and this season, he’s made seven appearances for the development team.
Stokes is the son of Nick Stokes, a former semi-pro goalkeeper in Wales and the man the teen credits for his love of soccer.
“I started just because my dad got me into it,” Stokes told the “Metro Energy Soccer” podcast in 2025. “My dad played it because he grew up in Wales and he played it his entire childhood. And he kind of passed that on to me and then I fell in love with the game.
“I have my dad to thank for getting me into it.”
