With one match remaining in the New York Red Bulls’ season, there are just about so many reasons why everything went sideways this year. Call it a lack of depth, injuries, questionable coaching decisions from manager Sandro Schwarz, a lack of aggressiveness from the front office. This season for Red Bulls fans has been frustrating and depressing.
This was supposed to be a season where New York could build on the momentum of their astonishing MLS Cup run from 2024. Now, decisions will have to be made regarding this squad’s future once Decision Day wraps up on October 18.
Specifically looking at injuries this season, the Red Bulls had their fair share of losses that left a lasting impact on the team. This was evident when looking at one position group in particular, which was the midfielders. Notably, Lewis Morgan and Cam Harper.
For such a young position group, outside of captain Emil Forsberg, this was a group that showed some growing pains throughout the season. They had their moments for sure, but this part of the pitch relied heavily on the Swedish midfielder Forsberg. Even with the addition of Gustav Berggren, his late addition due to his visa process really didn’t amount to anything.
Fans understood that young players like Daniel Edelman and Mohammed Sofo had the potential to step up in the absence of Morgan and Harper. Dennis Gjengaar and Peter Stroud can’t go overlooked either.
Replacing and filling in for a player like Morgan, though, was a difficult feat for some of these midfielders to overcome. When healthy, Morgan has been fantastic for New York. Since 2022, Morgan has registered 27 goals and 11 assists in MLS regular season play for the Red Bulls.
But, if it’s not an even-numbered year like 2022 or 2024, his production is non-existent due to injuries. There was hope that the Scottish midfielder would return in September and make an impact late in the campaign, but that never happened.
It’s sad that the 2024 MLS Comeback Player of the Year keeps facing setback after setback. On the pitch, his play has helped his squad immensely and there’s no doubt he’s a top five player in the club. At some point, his luck has to change because the Red Bulls are better with him.
Moving along to Harper, he has been a player who has shown growth and has progressed nicely in his game. Coming off a season where he had six goal contributions in domestic play, Harper was on his way to surpassing it this season. Unfortunately, after suffering a knee injury vs Austin FC on June 14, Harper has been out.
The absence of these two midfielders has left a glaring hole for opposing teams to attack. It has left an older Forsberg to deal with the pressure and when teams take him out of the game, it puts New York at a disadvantage. When an opponent has experience in the middle-third compared to the youthful, developing midfield of New York, the opponent is going to win.
With the 2025 season near the finish line, the Red Bulls hope this area of the pitch shows better results in 2026.
Obviously, a healthy and more polished midfield would do wonders for the club. Players will come and go and there have already been murmurs of a player like Edelman leaving due to the great potential he has.
Yet, the loss of Morgan and Harper this season proved to be noticeable for New York. With a longer offseason this year, expect different results heading into next year.
