'Not good enough' - Ex-Celtic man suffers derby day thrashing ahead of Scotland squad announcement

Scotland international Lewis Morgan had a bittersweet weekend in the MLS as his New York Red Bulls side qualified for a league-record 15th-straight MLS playoff, despite being thrashed 5-1 by New York City in the Hudson River Derby derby.

Qualification for the playoffs did not stop the Red Bulls star enduring the wrath of angry fans though, who were left fuming after the thumping loss and find themselves in a barren run of form that sees them without a league win since July 20. Morgan himself is without a goal in the last six games.

Billed as America’s biggest rivalry, the home side were 2-0 down after just seven minutes at the Red Bull Arena, when two defensive errors allowed Maxi Moralez and Alonso Martinez to put the visitors into a commanding lead. Dante Vanzeir would reduce the deficit on the half-hour mark, but Andrés Perea, Tavyron Grey and Martinez’s second secured a huge win on enemy territory for the Pidgeons.

Despite dropping to sixth place in the MLS, they were handed a guaranteed playoff spot after Toronto were only able to muster a 1-1 draw with bottom side Chicago Fire. The record achievement did little to quell fans anger though, with the crushing defeat prompting angry home fans to hold up a banner which read ‘not good enough’ in the second-half and under pressure boss Sandro Schwarz admits the supporters have a right to be angry.

Lewis Morgan earned his first Scotland cap since 2018 in the 2-2 draw with Finland at Hampden in June. (Photo by Craig Foy / SNS Group)

“We’re very disappointed,” said Schwarz. “About the result, about the mistakes, about the behaviour because it’s a derby. We are very angry about that. I can understand the supporters. We lost a big game and a derby but we didn’t lose the whole season. This is very important for us as a team to remember.”

The team’s mindset has been called into question by some pundits Stateside, who have cited their young squad appears to be struggling to deal pressure leading up to big games. At 27, Morgan will be relied upon to drag them out of their winless run, being one of their more experienced stars. “For me, it’s more about how we handle the situation and the pressure,” explained the head coach. “How we feel in some moments now before the game, maybe big games like this. This is what we have to analyse and develop for our next game.”

Reintroduced to the Scotland fold by Steve Clarke after a number of eye-catching displays for New York Red Bulls earlier in the MLS season, Morgan has scored 12 goals in 26 games this year and has appeared off the bench in four of Scotland’s last six games. He is expected to be named in the squad again for the upcoming Nations League games against Croatia and Portugal next month, with an announcement expected this week.