MLS player injures himself in goal celebration

New York Red Bulls winger Lewis Morgan had to be substituted off the pitch after scoring on Saturday.  The 26-year-old attacker opened the scoring of the MLS Cup playoff matchup with Cincinnati in the 48th minute.  The goal was a long-range rocket of a strike from outside of the box into the far corner of the net.

While the goal was great, Morgan appeared to suffer an injury in the subsequent celebrations.  He could not continue in the game and was substituted from the game just three minutes after putting his team ahead in the second half.

MLS player injures himself

Cincinnati went on to complete the comeback and win the match 2-1 on the road.  A neatly taken penalty by Luciano Acosta in the 74th minute leveled the scoreline.  However, Brandon Vazquez put Cincinnati ahead for good just 12 minutes later.  Despite 12 minutes of added time, RBNY could not score another goal.

The loss by New York effectively ends their season.  The Red Bulls have never won an MLS Cup title in the club’s history.  Their closest chance at bringing home the trophy came in 2008, when they were beaten by Columbus Crew 3-1 in the final.

Red Bulls certainly seemed to miss having Morgan in their lineup for the remainder of the match.  The Scot was just recently named the club’s Player of the Year by Red Bulls fans.  He racked up 14 goals and three assists during the current campaign.

Morgan began his playing career in Scotland, as the then youngster moved up the ranks with Rangers, St. Mirren, and Celtic.  Inter Miami bought the occasional Scotland international in January of 2020 for a reported fee of about $440,000.  After starting all 34 games for Miami during the 2020/21 season, NYRB bought Morgan for a previous record of $1.2 million of General Allocation Money.

Photo credit: IMAGO / Icon Sportswire