Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting on how he’s formed a terrifying partnership with an old rival at New York Red Bulls

EXCLUSIVE: Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting has joined forces with a former rival to unleash havoc on the MLS.

The pair of New York Red Bulls stars, who previously played against each other in the Bundesliga, have become a terrifying combination for any defense to deal with.

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Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting opens up about Emil Forsberg

In Germany, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Emil Forsberg went toe-to-toe during thrilling battles between Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig. However, last season, they put their old rivalry aside when the Cameroonian legend joined the Swedish superstar at the Sports Illustrated Stadium.

Together, they have proven almost unstoppable, with the pair sending shivers down the spines of any defenders who have to play against them. In a thrilling game against New England Revolution, both scored twice in the second half to secure an impressive 5-3 victory. In addition, the icons both hit the back of the net to bag a 2-2 draw in an intense encounter with Minnesota United.

When asked about their journey from rivals to teammates during an exclusive interview with Sporf, Choupo-Moting replied: “Emil is a great guy. From the first day, we had a connection. We were talking about a bunch of stuff besides football. Of course, I played a lot of times against him, he’s a great player. He’s the player a striker needs; he knows how to assist, and it was a fun season with him. There’s still room to improve as a whole team, but we’ve had lots of great moments together. There were lots of games where he scored, and I scored, we assisted each other, and connected well.”

Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting promises big things for the 2026 MLS season

On February 22, at 12:30 AM (GMT), New York Red Bulls will begin its 2026 MLS season against Orlando City in a match-up that looks destined to create fireworks. And it’s fair to say Choupo-Moting is extremely excited to get the campaign underway.

He enthused: “First of all, we had a good pre-season. Orlando will be a tough game. We played against them last year, and they have a great team — they play good football. It will be tough, of course, because in the MLS, away games are not that easy. We will take every match 100% seriously. We’ll be focused, that’s what the coach told us from the first day, we will play intensive, attacking football, that’s our goal. I’m really looking forward to it.”

Featured Image Credit: Getty