Injury Woes for Red Bulls Following Draw

Red Bulls head coach Sandro Schwartz expressed his frustration with Major League Soccer’s scheduling after a 1-1 draw with Toronto on Wednesday night. The match marked the team’s return after an 11-day hiatus, which resulted in injuries to three players.

Forward Louis Morgan, defender Raheem Edwards, and forward Wiktor Bogach all exited the game due to injuries. The situation arose during a break in the MLS schedule, caused by the Club World Cup earlier this month.

Schwartz commented that the injuries were “not the biggest surprise,” indicating a level of annoyance with the circumstances.

The crux of the issue lies in the collective bargaining agreement (CBA), which mandates players leave their teams five days prior to certain events. This schedule required the Red Bulls to play Toronto without a proper lead-up. “I want to talk to a guy who is responsible for that rule,” he remarked, emphasizing the need for adequate preparation time. “Rules like these make proper preparation impossible,” he added, noting that he found this approach somewhat questionable.

He also pointed out the difficulty of not being able to monitor player condition during the break, questioning whether they could be fully ready so mid-season. Schwartz, now in his second season with the Red Bulls, feels the timing just isn’t ideal.

He noted that in typical scenarios, a break of about ten days or two weeks would be expected for a game’s preparation. However, with two matches scheduled in four days, he feels the team hasn’t had enough time.

During the match, Morgan went down with a quad injury in the 24th minute. This was particularly concerning for him, as it was only his second game back after a knee surgery sustained shortly after the season opener in February.

Edwards left the field in the 58th minute after grabbing his left hamstring and later suffered a concussion. The status of all three injured players remains uncertain. Schwartz, who won’t speak to the media again before the upcoming game against Minnesota, is likely anxious about the situation.

On another note, the Red Bulls mentioned that midfielder Cam Harper also suffered a right knee injury during a game against Austin FC on June 14 and underwent surgery following the event.