Despite suffering an arm injury during the Matchday 2 clash against the Houston Dynamo, New York Red Bulls midfielder Peter Stroud is not expected to miss any time and should be available for Saturday night’s home opener against FC Dallas, team sources told amNewYork on Wednesday.
The 21-year-old suffered the injury a half-hour into New York’s 2-1 victory over Houston after a collision in the midfield. He was subbed off in the 34th minute for Lewis Morgan and was seen leaving the pitch while gingerly holding up his left arm by the forearm, which cast immediate concern.
Now, it appears as though the Red Bulls have avoided a major scare.
The 2024 season will be a vital one for the Chester Township, NJ native, who grew up less than an hour away from Red Bull Arena. After the club moved on from the likes of Omir Fernandez, Christian Casseres Jr., and Dru Yearwood, the early portions of the campaign have presented a prime opportunity for Stroud to become a regular within first-year head coach Sandro Schwarz’s side.
Stroud started each of the club’s first two MLS matches of the season, playing 63 minutes in the 0-0 opening draw to Nashville SC before being subbed off for Morgan. He had completed 86.1% of his passes throughout the early proceedings.
This is Stroud’s second season in the top flight with the Red Bulls. He had been a member of the club’s youth development program beginning in 2015 but made a move out to England to work with the youth ranks of West Ham United, where he remained until 2020 when he returned to the United States to attend Duke University.
Stroud should continue to get looks in New York’s midfield, but Morgan should also settle into his usual role within New York’s starting XI. The Scottish midfielder, who scored the game-winning goal on Saturday in Houston, was the Red Bulls’ leading scorer in 2022 with 18 goals in all competitions. He was limited to just five league matches last year due to a nagging hip injury that required surgery during the offseason.
