Red Bulls TRADE STAR FORWARD Lewis Morgan to San Diego FC For Superdraft Pick and $4ooK in GAM

On Saturday, Red Bull New York traded fan favorite attacker Lewis Morgan to San Diego FC in exchange for $400,000 in GAM and an MLS Superdraft pick (Tom Bogert first). As part of the deal, RBNY will cover a portion of Morgan's contract and will be sending back a similar amount of GAM to San Diego in 2027.

The move follows a season marred by injuries for the Scottish international, his second season in which the player missed a majority of games in four years with RBNY. After a comeback player of the year campaign in 2024 with 13 goals and seven assists, Morgan played just three MLS matches in 2025, thanks to an injuries to both his quad and a pesky resurfacing hip injury.

This is the second high-profile departure for New York in the 2025 offseason, as homegrown midfielder Peter Stroud was sent to Minnesota United earlier last week in exchange for GAM. This trend of outgoing players follows the promise of Red Bulls' head of sport Julian de Guzman ushering in wholesale squad changes ahead of 2026 as Morgan's departure frees up significant space for a new TAM player.

Morgan joined the Red Bulls in 2022 after spending two seasons with Inter Miami. The Scotsman was instantly impactful in New York, scoring 14 goals and assisting on four in his first season at then Red Bull Arena.

He will join the likes of Anders Dreyer and Hirving "Chucky" Lozano on a dynamic SDFC team, one of the more impressive expansion sides in MLS history having finished atop the Western Conference table and reaching the Western Conference final in 2025, its first season. San Diego also employs former Red Bulls and Miami defender Andres Reyes, who was traded from New York at the end of the 2024 season.

In four years with New York, the 29-year-old winger/striker scored 27 goals in 69 MLS appearances. Now, de Guzman and the Red Bulls will be tasked with finding a new source for goals to supplement Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Emil Forsberg.

The move comes as a bit of a surprise, both to Morgan and those with a close eye on the Red Bulls, as de Guzman alluded to Morgan's potential to help the club at the end of season press conference on Oct. 28.

Morgan featured for the Scottish national team at the European championship during the summer of 2024. With a strong MLS campaign in the start of 2026, he could put himself in a position to join Steve Clarke's 26-man squad for the World Cup next summer.

Potential replacements for the likes of Morgan have already been noted, with Chivas winger Cade Cowell reportedly in advanced talks to join the Red Bulls.