6 goals in 7 games – Lewis Morgan comeback has fuelled red hot Red Bulls start

Leads MLS in scoring 

The New York Red Bulls have been off to a red-hot start this season not just topping the Eastern Conference but Major League Soccer as a whole. Indeed, a win against the Chicago Fire on Saturday (7:30 p.m. ET) would see the Red Bulls kickstart the season with a perfect three-in-three home record. Something the club has done only twice previously in 2010, when they finished first in the Eastern Conference, and in 2018, when they won the Supporters’ Shield. And thanks to Scottish winger Lewis Morgan, there is a good chance the club can pull it off. 

Indeed, Morgan has been in incredible form to start the season. Together with Real Salt Lake City striker Cristian Arango, the 27-year-old winger currently leads MLS with six goals in just seven games. Both Arango and Morgan also have one assist each to keep them tied at the top of the goalscoring table. But the Scottish Red Bull winger has been slightly more effective than RSL’s Colombian striker. While Morgan has scored every 84 minutes this season, Arango’s pace is somewhat slower, with a goal just every 105 minutes. 

Morgan’s six goals in the month of March were tied for the most in a single month of March in MLS history, alongside Carlos Vela (six in 2019). Furthermore, three of those goals came in a 4-0 win at home against giants Inter Miami CF. Perhaps those numbers shouldn’t shock us, though. After all, Morgan is no stranger to scoring goals. The native of Paisley, Scotland, managed an incredible 14 goals and three assists in 32 MLS regular season games in 2022. But hip problems limited Morgan to just five regular season games last season. Now he is back, and the Red Bulls are flying. 

Lewis Morgan: “I feel amazing” injuries were “a learning curve”

“I feel amazing,” Morgan said to MLSSoccer.com after scoring the winner in the 2-1 win over Houston Dynamo on matchday 2. “It was special to come back. I’ve been out for over a year and obviously played some minutes last year, but I kept re-injuring myself.” Morgan said that the hip injury was frustrating as it kept postponing his comeback. “I had some really serious injuries that are pretty much unheard of, so it was a learning curve for me,” Morgan added. “That is probably the first time in my career that I really missed time like that, so it was really tough mentally to come through.” 

Morgan, who is soon set to reach 100 MLS regular season games, also said this after matchday 2. “I feel like I’ve got some time to make up for,” Morgan said before he added: “So hopefully tonight can be the start of it.” That sure has been the case, as Morgan has added another five goals since. But it also helps that Morgan is partnered up with Belgian striker Dante Vanzeir, who leads the league with 1.41 key passes per 90 minutes. Then, there is the addition of Swedish playmaker Emil Forsberg. Newly arrived from RB Leipzig, Forsberg is 17th in the league with 0.94 key passes per 90 minutes and 19th in the league with 1.69 through passes per 90 minutes. 

In other words, Morgan has not just regained his form, but he is also benefitting from not just one but two excellent teammates. In fact, looking at the Red Bulls as a whole under new head coach Sandro Schwarz paints a picture of a side clicking. The Red Bulls are currently fourth in the league with 50 through passes and joined third with D.C. United with 28 smart passes. The fast counter-pressing style, so common for Red Bull teams, favors a fast winger like Morgan, as does playing with intelligent teammates like Vanzier and Forsberg. At the same time, you have to finish your chances, and Morgan’s 2022 campaign highlights that he can maintain the current pace is sustainable, especially if he is finally fully fit.

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