New York Red Bulls Officially Signs Swedish Midfielder Gustav Berggren

Photo credit: Jakub Ziemianin

The New York Red Bulls made it official on Wednesday: Gustav Berggren is coming to the Metro. It took over a year of pursuing and a deviation from their original plan, but New York Head of Sport Jochen Schneider was able to finalize the deal.

"We are excited to add a player like Gustav [Berggren] to our roster,” said Schneider. “He is someone who will bring quality, leadership, and a winning mentality to our team, and we are happy to have him join the club.”

Berggren signed a contract that runs through the 2028 season, with a team option for 2029. Red Bull will reportedly send ~$2,100,000 to Polish side Raków, according to Joe Pantorno of amNY. Daniel Kristoffersson originally reported on the agreement between both teams.

With just one appearance for the Swedish national team, Berggren made his debut in January 2020. This move also sets up the opportunity to finally play alongside Sweden legend Emil Forsberg.

Photo credit: Jakub Ziemianin

The 27-year-old Berggren has appeared in 105 matches for Raków since arriving from BK Häcken in the summer of 2022. In Poland, Berggren scored 5 goals and recorded 7 assists for the club over three seasons.

"Gustav possesses the abilities that we want in our central midfielders, and we are pleased to have him on our team,” said Red Bulls Head Coach Sandro Schwarz. “He will be a great asset to our midfield, and we are looking forward to having the opportunity to work with him.”

In 2022/2023, Berggren helped Raków reach their ultimate goal, winning the Ekstraklasa for the first time in the club's history.

That championship qualified Raków for the UEFA Champions League qualifying stage, where they made it to the playoff against Danish side Copenhagen, losing 2-1 on aggregate. It wasn't a total loss, as Raków would enter a European group stage for the very first time, earning promotion to the Europa League.

Year two in Poland saw less team success, but Berggren saw his value elevate within the club. Playing 43 games and over 3,000+ minutes, Berggren was named team MVP for the 2023/2024 season.

Last season, Raków made a push to win their second league title, but ultimately fell short to Lech Poznan by a single point.

Joining Red Bull mid-season won't be easy for Berggren, and the expectations will be higher, being the direct replacement for Felipe Carballo. Ironically, Carballo was Red Bull's plan B after negotiations for Berggren collapsed last summer.

Berggren will look to bring an elevated quality to New York's starting lineup, joining defensive midfield staple Daniel Edelman in the midfield pivot. His arrival will also push squad players like Ronald Donkor and Peter Stroud in training to show they also deserve playing time with the senior team.

The Red Bulls currently sit ninth in the Eastern Conference, just one point ahead of Chicago with just ten games remaining in the regular season.