Just 30 minutes into his MLS career, Shaun Wright-Phillips has been named to the MLS Team of the Week for Week 22 after earning a penalty and setting up the game-winning goal in the Red Bulls’ 3-1 win at Philadelphia on Saturday.
Wright-Phillips made his debut in the 61st minute, and less than five minutes later got into a dangerous position and was taken down in the penalty area, earning a penalty that was converted by midfielder Sacha Kljestan. Minutes later, the winger brought down a ball in the box, cut to the end line to leave his defender behind and put in a low ball for his brother, Bradley Wright-Phillips, to finish from the edge of the six yard box.
The Englishman joins MLS after a lengthy career in the English Premier League, including two spells with Manchester City as well as time with Chelsea and Queens Park Rangers.
The Red Bulls are back in action on Wednesday night in Montreal. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. with coverage on MSG. The team then returns home to host the third New York Derby on Sunday, August 9. Kickoff against New York City FC is set for 7 p.m. Sunday at Red Bull Arena.
TEAM OF THE WEEK
GK: Tim Melia (Sporting Kansas City) - Made a few big saves to prevent the Houston Dynamo from taking all three points at Sporting Park.
D: Pa Modou Kah (Vancouver Whitecaps) - Not only notched the brace as a defender, but six interceptions and three recoveries going well up the field were a big part of his team keeping the clean sheet.
D: Eric Gehrig (Chicago Fire) - Produced a sparkling defensive performance with six tackles and 10 clearances in the Fire's 2-0 win.
D: David Horst (Houston Dynamo) - Was a stand up defender all night, and was downright heroic on two occasions in the Dynamo's 1-1 draw.
M: Sebastian Lletget (LA Galaxy) - Made the most of his one opportunity. Gave Rapids problems getting in behind all game in the Galaxy's 3-1 win.
M: Chris Rolfe (D.C. United) - Scored United's first two goals after going down 2-0, jumpstarting the comeback that ended with a 6-4 win at RFK.
M: Matt Polster (Chicago Fire) - We'll let the Armchair Analyst explain his selection.
M: Shaun Wright-Phillips (New York Red Bulls) - Came off the bench to make his first appearance and was an instant sparkplug, winning a PK and assisting on his brother's game-winning goal.
F: Dominic Oduro (Montreal Impact) - Used his world-class speed to get in behind NYCFC's backline all afternoon, scoring a goal in the Impact's 3-2 win.
F: Charlie Davies (New England Revolution) - Got back to his goalscoring ways, putting two in the back of the net in the Revolution's 3-1 win over Toronto FC.
F: Cyle Larin (Orlando City SC) - The rookie is simply on fire. Larin now has five goals in his last two games. After his two goals against Columbus, Larin is now tied with Damani Ralph for the most goals by a rookie in MLS history.
Coach:Carl Robinson (Vancouver Whitecaps) - The 'Caps are the best road team in MLS and Robinson put his team in good position yet again in Seattle.
Bench:Sean Johnson (Chicago Fire), Ambroise Oyongo (Montreal Impact), Corey Ashe (Orlando City SC), Dax McCarty (New York Red Bulls), Ignacio Piatti (Montreal Impact), Javier Morales (Real Salt Lake), Fabian Espindola (D.C. United)
