New York Red Bulls midfielder Lewis Morgan was named MLS’ Comeback Player of the Year, the league announced Wednesday. The midfielder scored 13 goals for RBNY, and ended the season with seven assists.
After playing less than 300 minutes last year, he logged 2,420 this campaign – and started 26 of 29 games. With Morgan in the middle of the park, the Red Bulls clinched a postseason berth for the 15th straight year, and upset Columbus Crew in the opening round of the playoffs.
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THE BIGGER PICTURE
Morgan edged Robin Lod of Minnesota and Maxi Moralez of NYCFC to win the award. Previous winners include the likes of Gonzalo Higuain (2022), Bradley Wright-Phillips (2020), Clint Dempsey (2017) and David Beckham (2011). Here are the 2024 voting results:
DID YOU KNOW?
Morgan’s career seemed to be at a crossroads in September 2023. He underwent hip surgery, and was told that he had 80-to-85 percent chance of playing again, and just 20-to-25 of reaching peak performance. He is also the first player in RBNY history to win the award.
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WHAT NEXT FOR MORGAN AND THE RED BULLS?
After beating Columbus in the opening round of MLS playoffs, the Red Bulls will now have to wait two weeks for their next fixture. They will face the winner of the Cincinnati-NYCFC series.