HARRISON, NJ (September 22, 2014) – What a difference a year makes. After scoring his third hat trick of the season, and his league leading 24th goal of the year, Bradley Wright-Phillips has been unanimously voted MLS Player of the week. Wright-Phillips led the Red Bulls to a statement win on saturday, beating the MLS leading Seattle Sounders 4-1 in front of a sold out Red Bull Arena.
Saturday’s tallies have left Wright-Phillips just three goals shy of the MLS single-season goal record and tied for 5th on that list with Carlos Ruiz, who netted 24 goals for LA Galaxy in 2002. The top slot on that list is currently taken by Roy Lassiter (TB – 1996) and Chris Wondolowski (SJ – 2012), both with 27. Wright-Phillips won player of the week honors once before this season, in Week 8 after a four goal performance, recording his first hat trick of the season at home against Houston, and adding another at Crew Stadium just four days later.
This is not Wright-Phillips’ first run in with history this season, as he already has broken the Red Bulls single season goal record, previously held by club legend and fan favorite Juan Pablo Angel.
Amidst this torrid pace, another possible laud has cropped up.
Despite many outsiders believing that Wright-Phillips has benefited from the “Thierry Henry Effect,” referring to the success that Luke Rodgers and Kenny Cooper had playing alongside the legendary Frenchman, the quality of the Englishman’s finishing should be noted. Case in point was Wright-Phillips’ third goal, which will likely be nominated for goal of the week. The service was quality, yes, but look at the first touch and the shot itself. That first touch is something that many strikers in MLS lack, and the shot was still rising as it hit the back of the net. Whereas some of these goals Wright-Phillips has scored have, in fact, been sitters, many of his 24 tallies can be considered world class. These are not “garbage goals,” but tallies that are a product of years of skilled training and scoring instinct. Positioning is key, as well as timing his runs just right. Thus, Wright-Phillips has deservedly worked himself into the conversation for MLS regular season MVP, a spot that he should conceivably win if the Red Bulls successfully clinch a playoff berth.
How important has Wright-Phillips been in the Red Bulls attack? He has produced exactly half of the Red Bulls’ 48 goals scored. In 27 appearances this season, he has only been held off the score sheet twice, April 12th at DC United (a loss) and April 16th at home against the Philadelphia Union. Since then, he has been better than a goal per game, consistently putting himself in position to score.
The MLS Player of the Week is selected each week of the regular season by a panel of journalists from the North American Soccer Reporters (NASR). This is only the fourth time a player has won the award on a unanimous decision.
The Red Bulls travel to El Salvador to face CD Fas on Wednesday in CONCACAF Champions League competition after dropping a hard fought 1-0 decision to the Montreal Impact. They then travel to Los Angeles to face the high flying Galaxy, who after defeating FC Dallas 2-1, are tied in the Supporters Shield race on points (Seattle has a game in hand).
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