The New York Red Bulls made the signing of former PSG and Bayern Munich striker Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting official on Wednesday. The 35-year-old Cameroonian for at least two seasons on a contract that will begin in January of 2025.
AmNewYork first confirmed New York’s signing of Choupo-Moting on Sunday.
He will occupy a Designated Player (DP) roster spot, which puts the Red Bulls at four such players, joining Emil Forsberg, Felipe Carballo, and Dante Vanzeir. Major League Soccer rules stipulate that teams can only have two DP contracts on their books but pay $150,000 to add a third.
“Maxim is a strong forward that will bring a lot of experience and leadership to our club,” New York head coach Sandro Schwarz said. “He will be a great addition to our roster, and we are looking forward to seeing him on the pitch at Sports Illustrated Stadium.”
Choupo-Moting departed the famous German side, Bayern Munich, over the summer. He scored 17 goals in 30 matches across all competitions during the 2022-23 season but saw his playing time cut in half after the team signed star striker Harry Kane from Tottenham.
He played with the French giants PSG from 2018 to 2020, following one year with Stoke City in the English Premier League. He spent the previous decade of his professional career in Germany, playing for Bundesliga sides Hamburg, Mainz, and Schalke.
Red Bulls head of sport Jochen Schneider has prioritized bolstering a young squad with more experience to complement Forsberg—the star Swedish midfielder who captained New York to an MLS Cup Final just two weeks ago—and Scottish winger Lewis Morgan, who appeared for the Tartan Army at Euro 2024.
“We are excited to add a player of Maxim’s caliber to our roster,” Schneider said. “Maxim is a great player, a winner and his experience in Europe’s top leagues will be greatly important to our club in 2025 and beyond.”
Obvious questions will remain about the workload that a veteran striker like Choupo-Moting could shoulder, especially because he has started just nine of the last 34 matches he appeared in dating back to the start of last season. That uncertainty would intensify further if the signing led to the departure of Vanzeir, who is the most likely DP contract to get moved, given the importance of Forsberg and the signing of Carballo at the transfer deadline just four months ago.
Elias Manoel is the only veteran striker currently on the roster, though the progress of 16-year-old wunderkind Julian Hall will be closely tracked as a full-time MLS breakthrough inches ever so closer.
