Red Bulls’ Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting suffers injury vs. Union

Fahad Umar
August 14, 2025
6:49 am

Aug 13, 2025; Chester, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Red Bulls forward Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting (13) shoots for a goal in front of Philadelphia Union defender Jakob Glesnes (5) during the second half at Subaru Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

New York Red Bulls star striker Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting suffered an undisclosed injury during the final minutes of Wednesday night’s loss to Philadelphia Union in the US Open Cup quarterfinals, head coach Sandro Schwarz disclosed.

A specific injury, its severity, or a timetable for a return is unknown at this time. The same goes for backup goalkeeper AJ Marcucci, who suffered an apparent leg injury while defending the free kick that led to Philadelphia’s game-winning goal in the 89th minute of New York’s 3-2 loss.

“[Marcucci’s injury] looks not good, but we will see, we will check him,” Schwarz said. “We have to check on Choupo as well. This is more of what we have to think about for the next phase. Now we have the concern for the injuries now.”

Any sort of absence from the 36-year-old is a significant blow for a Red Bulls team that is already teetering on the brink. They enter this weekend’s rematch against Philadelphia in MLS play on Saturday outside of the Eastern Conference playoff picture in 10th place.

New York has been plagued by injury throughout the 2025 campaign. Most notably, it has been without star forward Lewis Morgan for all but three matches this season due to knee and quad injuries. He is expected to be back in early September.

Choupo-Moting suffered an abdominal injury last month but has not missed any extended time. The Cameroonian international has appeared in 25 of 26 MLS matches this season and currently ranks third in the league with 15 goals scored.

He scored a brilliant volley in the 71st minute during Wednesday night’s match with Philadelphia, in which he perfectly cushioned a left-footed shot directly off a long ball into the box from defender Dylan Nealis. It gave New York a 2-1 lead, but they conceded twice in the final 16 minutes to crash out of the US Open Cup.

Regardless, this is the exact impact that was anticipated when Jochen Schneider signed him over the winter. Choupo-Moting has played on some of the largest stages in world soccer, most recently contributing with German giants Bayern Munich, where he stayed for four seasons. He scored 10 goals in 19 Bundesliga matches in 2022-23.