New York Red Bulls will once again be short key players due to the international break as both forward Lewis Morgan and goalkeeper Carlos Coronel will be called into their respective national team. Both have missed time during a busy summer and represented their countries during the Copa America and European Championship.
Morgan broke through to the Scottish national team as a late call-up for the country right before the Euros. While the team didn’t make a significant impact and he saw limited minutes, the secondary call-up for the upcoming window shows that head coach Steve Clarke is confident in what he has seen from Morgan who has been one of the top performers on the team and in the league. With limited options in the forward position, Scotland may give Morgan more of a chance as the team will play fixtures against Poland and Portugal in the UEFA Nations League.
Coronel will join the Paraguayan national team where he didn’t see the field for the most recent Copa America. Still, friendlies against Uruguay and Brazil may give him the chance to see the field and prove his own merit as World Cup qualifiers intensify. Coronel has been one of the leading figures for the Red Bulls and helped the club solidify their place as a major playoff contender. That work has caught the eye of his native Paraguay and gotten him into the discussion of potentially featuring on the national stage.
Losing those players during a key part of the season may seem difficult. However the Red Bulls have showing that they have the depth to get results. This season the team remains as the only undefeated home club in MLS. On top of that they have only suffered four losses all campaign. This ties them for least amount of losses in the Eastern Conference with Inter Miami and the Columbus Crew.
photo by Matt Kremkau