New York Red Bulls: Emil Forsberg named Player of the Matchday | OneFootball

By MLSsoccer staff

Player of the Matchday 12: Emil Forsberg

Emil Forsberg's terrific form guided the New York Red Bulls to a historic rout and earned him MLS Player of the Matchday presented by Michelob Ultra honors for Matchday 12.

Forsberg erupted for two goals and two assists as RBNY crushed LA Galaxy, 7-0, at Sports Illustrated Stadium in a rematch of last year's MLS Cup final.

The Swedish international became just the second player in club history to record multiple goals and multiple assists in an MLS match, equalling Antony De Avila's feat from July 13, 1997.

Forsberg (5g/4a) is one of just four players in MLS with at least five goals and four assists this season and leads the Red Bulls with nine goal contributions. The 33-year-old, acquired as a Designated Player from German Bundesliga sister side RB Leipzig in December 2023, has scored or assisted in 15 of his 31 regular-season matches, leading the Red Bulls to a 9W-5L-1D record in those contests.

Saturday's offensive explosion was RBNY's first seven-goal performance in the MLS regular season since their infamous 7-0 blowout of Hudson River Derby rivals New York City FC on May 21, 2016. The win also equaled the largest margin of victory for an MLS Cup rematch, following Chicago Fire FC's 7-0 victory over Sporting Kansas City (née Wizards) on July 4, 2001.

Forsberg joins Lewis Morgan (Matchday 6 of 2024) as the only Red Bulls to receive the MLS Player of the Matchday award since the start of 2023. He's also the first Swedish player to earn the honor since Zlatan Ibrahimović with the Galaxy on Matchday 28 of 2019.

Forsberg and the Red Bulls travel to Nashville SC on Wednesday (8:30 pm ET | MLS Season Pass) before visiting NYCFC in Saturday's Hudson River Derby (4:30 pm ET | MLS Season Pass, Apple TV+).

The MLS Player of the Matchday presented by Michelob Ultra is selected each matchday of the regular season through both media and fan voting in a process conducted by MLS Communications. A panel of journalists from the North American Soccer Reporters (NASR) comprises 75 percent of the vote, while an Instagram fan vote represents the remaining 25 percent of voting. NASR consists of members of print, television, radio, and online media.

Emil Forsberg shows star quality in MLS Cup rematch