Mar 15, 2025; Harrison, New Jersey, USA; New York Red Bulls forward Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting (13) plays the ball in front of Orlando City forward Duncan McGuire (13) during the second half at Sports Illustrated Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
This was hardly the role that Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting would have envisioned upon signing for Red Bull New York last season.
The veteran striker, who once served as a gamebreaker for European giants like Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich, has been relegated to a reserve role behind the up-and-coming 18-year-old phenom, Julian Hall, after leading the team with 17 goals in his debut campaign last year.
He has started just one of New York’s first 11 MLS matches this season, and is averaging a paltry 15.3 minutes per appearance — a casualty of sorts in first-year head coach Michael Bradley’s youth movement.
“The conversations with him are ongoing, and reminding him of how important he is to the group, what a difference his leadership and his overall way, what a difference that makes,” Bradley said when asked about the 37-year-old Cameroonian. “We’re going to continue to rely on him in a lot of different ways. There will be games where he continues to come off the bench and play a big role as we get to the end of games, and there’s going to be other games where we use him from the start.”
Bradley added that Choupo-Moting’s “attitude and mentality have been excellent,” despite the lack of playing time, and that he has exuded “class and professionalism” throughout. This comes after Bradley had previously stated that starting opportunities would be on the docket as the season progresses.
There was such a plan for Red Bull’s April 25 match, a 2-0 loss, against FC Cincinnati, but Choupo-Moting was feeling unwell and was unable to go. He has made just a single, eight-minute appearance at the end of New York’s 2-0 loss to FC Dallas on May 2.
With this being the final year of his contract, with an option for 2027 available, the current usage obviously suggests that Choupo-Moting’s time in New York will not extend much further beyond this season unless things change significantly. But the nature of the beast is that opportunities are just not that bountiful. Choupo-Moting is a traditional center-forward, and there is just one spot in Bradley’s system. Hall is running with the opportunity that Bradley has given him, with nine goals in 13 appearances across all competitions this season.
“We’re continuing to make sure that we do everything we can to show him the respect that he deserves, show him the respect that he’s earned, and continue to make sure that he knows how important he is to our group,” Bradley said.
For more on Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Red Bull New York, visit AMNY.com
