Photo Credit: Meidz Legnica
It might have taken 6 extra months, but the New York Red Bulls have officially signed striker Wiktor Bogacz from Miedz Legnica. The 20-year-old Polish striker arrives in New York from the second division in Poland and was heavily linked to Juventus and Atalanta before picking Red Bull. First reported by Piotr Koźmiński back in late November.
Bogacz signed a four-year MLS contract through 2028 with an option for 2029 and will be a U-22 Initiative player. Red Bull announced an undisclosed transfer fee for Bogacz, but in Poland, multiple reports are indicating that Miedz will receive ~$2,000,000, breaking the league's record for an outgoing transfer.
“We are very excited to have Wiktor [Bogacz] join our club,” said Head of Sport Jochen Schneider. “He is a promising young striker with a lot of potential that has shown well with Miedz Legnica, and his qualities will help our club achieve our goals for the future.”
As Schneider said, Bogacz is a promising young striker who can be paired with homegrown starlet Julian Hall for years as they develop under the same roof at Melanie Lane. In 27 games (1399 minutes) for the senior team with Miedz, Bogacz scored eight goals and chipped in with two assists as well.
“Wiktor possesses great qualities that we look for in our strikers,” said Head Coach Sandro Schwarz. “We cannot wait to have him on the pitch with us and to work with him to keep helping him reach his full potential.”
For his size, Bogacz has excellent acceleration and pace standing at 6'4. He’s rapid and very good at getting in behind the defense, similar to how Manchester City's Erling Haaland plays.
Bogacz still needs to develop in other parts of his game, but he will now get to learn under Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, who has 457 senior club appearances and has played professional soccer since 2007. Bogacz would have been three years old when Choupo made his debut for Hamburg against Hannover 96.
The path to the starting XI is right in front of Bogacz. With Red Bull's two-striker system and Choupo already penciled into the lineup, we assume, Bogacz's main competition will be designated player Dante Vanzeir.
The Belgian has struggled to produce in his time with the Red Bulls, scoring just 11 goals in 63 games. However, Dante did start to find his feet in the playoffs scoring twice to help New York reach their first MLS Cup Final since 2008.
Overall, this is a massive signing for Red Bull. Not only did you beat out one of the biggest clubs, not just in Italy, but the entire World for Bogacz's signature, but you also bring in quality depth to push players like Vanzeir, Hall, and even Serge Ngoma, who will look to stay healthy in 2025.
Sandro Schwarz is slowly but surely building this team the way he wants it in 2025. Expect plenty of more news over the next couple of weeks as Red Bull begins preseason on January 18th.
