ONLY IN AMNEWYORK
HARRISON, NJ — Lewis Morgan had the opportunity to make a significant move this winter.
After overcoming a rare and debilitating hip injury that required surgery and limited his 2023 season to just five games, the 28-year-old Scottish forward came back better than ever last season, scoring 13 goals to win MLS Comeback Player of the Year and help fuel his New York Red Bulls to an MLS Cup Final appearance.
His play in the first half of 2024 was so good, in fact, that Scotland national team manager Steve Clarke called him back into the squad for the massive stage that was the 2024 European Championships, which ended his personal five-year hiatus from the Tartan Army.
All the while, interest from clubs in larger, more recognizable leagues loomed — perhaps providing a return to Europe where his career began with Scottish powerhouses Celtic and Rangers.
For Morgan, tough, who had just one guaranteed year left on his previous contract heading into 2025, there was no other place he would rather be than in New York with the Red Bulls; and he made that crystal clear even during his resurgent 2024 campaign.
“We’d spoke to the club during the season last year that we wanted to extend and say,” he told amNewYork. “There’s always noise, there’s always rumors. Some of them have more substance than others. But for me, it was always wanting to stay here and trying to get something sorted. In this league, it’s not as easy as player wanting to stay, club wanting you to stay. There’s cap space, there’s all these rules and regulations. So it takes a lot longer than you’d think. Months, in fact, from initial conversations, to get something singed. But all that matters is you get there and I always wanted to stay here regardless of the speculation that other teams wanted me, or whatever.”
His hopes came to fruition, officially, earlier this month, when the two sides put the finishing touches on a two-year contract extension that includes options for the 2027 and 2028 seasons.
“I’ve been in football long enough to know that you don’t need to jump away from something if it’s good, you know?” Morgan said. “I mean, we made MLS Cup Final last year and to try and go one better with the same group of guys is a challenge that excited me. I love living here. My girlfriend is from here. All of that stuff matters. I also feel like I’m coming into my prime now. So I wanted to make sure that Red Bull were getting me as I was coming into my prime so I could try and give back to the club that stuck by me through the injury year in 2023. We’ve both been good for each other.”
Perhaps things can get even better for Morgan with the Red Bulls.
For the first time in years, he has had a fully healthy offseason to recuperate and properly build up for the 2025 MLS season, which begins on Saturday in Cincinnati. Rather than working “non-stop, every day” just to get back to a suitable level of fitness to which he admitted, “I was burnt out a little bit,” the nearly six-week break this offseason brings a refreshed version of Morgan with increased personal expectations.
“Just talking strictly individually, every year I want to try and compete for the Golden Boot in this league,” he said. “I have no doubt I can do that. I’ve shown that I can do it. I truly believe if I can stay how my body feels now for a full year, I think this year is the best platform I’ve got to do that.. Having this break has done a world of good for me. Of course, for the majority of that we’re still working as well, but just in a completely different frame of mind. A complete different body in terms of where I was at health-wise. So it should set me up to be able to emulate my earlier season performances last year for the full year.”
For more on Lewis Morgan and the Red Bulls, visit AMNY.com
