Lewis Morgan (Photo Courtesy of the New York Red Bulls)
ONLY IN AMNEWYORK
HARRISON, N.J. — Lewis Morgan did everything he possibly could to avoid surgery on his hip, but after taking a penalty during the Leagues Cup quarterfinal against the Philadelphia Union on Aug. 8, he knew there was no other option.
“As soon as I planted on the left side to take the penalty, I immediately knew I was in trouble again,” he told amNewYork.
This was the agonizing game that the New York Red Bulls’ star Scottish midfielder was contending with all season with that nagging hip injury, which dated back much earlier to when he was initially — and officially — labeled as injured during a June 3 match against Orlando.
In fact, this was an issue that he encountered from the very start of the 2023 season when he suffered the initial injury, which was a tear of the psoas muscle, which is located on either side of the vertebral column — one of the most significant muscles within that location.
“The actual first time I injured my hip was the first game against Orlando last year, the very first game, 20 minutes in,” Morgan said. “I played the full game in a lot of pain. I’ve never really had any injuries, especially muscle injuries.
“Then I reinjured myself in the first three games of the season and they ended up being really, really severe. Psoas tears, which is unheard of and there were some of our doctors that have never even seen a psoas tear never mind the severity of the grade tears I was having.”
Throughout a professional career that has spanned two continents and stints at major clubs like Scottish giants Celtic and fallen English notables, Sunderland, Morgan was always able to escape any major injury issues for a decade.
But one season of issues suddenly tweaks that reputation — and quickly.
“One of the hardest things was almost being looked at as someone who always gets injured,” he said. “I’ve never been injured, never missed a…
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