New York Red Bulls striker Bradley Wright-Phillips won his second MLS Golden Boot trophy in the last three seasons on Sunday, finishing the 2016 regular season with 24 goals to edge David Villa of his team's crosstown rival, New York City FC, in a race that went right down to the wire.
The capstone goal came in the 26th minute against Philadelphia on Sunday, when Wright-Phillips took Aurelien Collin's long lead pass in stride, beating the defenders to the ball and then chipping Union 'keeper Andre Blake, finishing the run with a tap-in at the goalmouth. The Red Bulls are 10-0-6 in games Wright-Phillips scored this season.
Wright-Phillips has now notched 68 goals in the last three years, extending the MLS record for goals in a three-season span that he'd already set with 62 by September. He's also the first and only player in league history to record two regular seasons with 20 or more goals in each; he won the 2014 Golden Boot with a league record-setting 27 strikes.
The scoring exploits of “BWP” have paced the Red Bulls to another strong campaign marked by a first-place regular-season finish in the Eastern Conference, RBNY's third such achievement in the past four seasons (2013, 2015, 2016).
The club have also booked their place in the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Champions League after an undefeated run through the group stage; New York will face the Vancouver Whitecaps in a two-leg, home-and-home aggregate series to start their 2017 calendar.
Top Goal Scorers in Each Season:
2016: 24 goals – Bradley Wright-Phillips (New York Red Bulls)
2015: 22 goals – Sebastian Giovinco (Toronto FC)
2014: 27 goals – Bradley Wright-Phillips (New York Red Bulls)
2013: 22 goals – Camilo Sanvezzo (Vancouver Whitecaps FC)
2012: 27 goals – Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes)
2011: 16 goals – Dwayne De Rosario (D.C. United)
2010: 18 goals – Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes)
2009: 17 goals – Jeff Cunningham (FC Dallas)
2008: 20 goals – Landon Donovan (LA Galaxy)
2007: 20 goals – Luciano Emilio (D.C. United)
2006: 16 goals – Jeff Cunningham (Real Salt Lake)
2005: 17 goals – Taylor Twellman (New England Revolution)
2004: 12 goals – Eddie Johnson (Dallas Burn); Brian Ching (San Jose Earthquakes)
2003: 15 goals – Carlos Ruiz (LA Galaxy); Taylor Twellman (New England Revolution)
2002: 24 goals – Carlos Ruiz (LA Galaxy)
2001: 19 goals – Alex Pineda Chacon (Miami Fusion)
2000: 26 goals – Mamadou Diallo (Tampa Bay Mutiny)
1999: 18 goals – Stern John (Columbus Crew); Roy Lassiter (D.C. United); Jason Kreis (Dallas Burn)
1998: 26 goals – Stern John (Columbus Crew)
1997: 16 goals – Jaime Moreno (D.C. United)
1996: 27 goals – Roy Lassiter (Tampa Bay Mutiny)
