The New York Red Bulls had several reasons to celebrate on Friday night during a 3-1 victory at Red Bull Arena. One of the biggest cheers of the night came in the 66th minute, when New York’s all-time leading scorer, Bradley Wright-Phillips, entered a match for the first time since April 20.
“Yeah, it was amazing to be out there,” Wright-Phillips said. “I was like a kid, man, back at school. Like I said before, it was so much fun, but I did realize tonight that soccer is difficult. It wasn’t as easy as I thought it was going to be, but it was nice to just get my legs under me, just get the feel of the ball and play in front of the crowd.”
The veteran striker, who has recorded double-digit goals in all five of his full MLS seasons, has been sidelined by a groin injury. In addition to his scoring prowess, BWP also brings some intangibles to the lineup, according to his teammates.
“Brad has been dealing with the injury and it is always great to see him back on the field,” Luis Robles said. “He’s going to give us a huge boost, not only on the field, but in the locker room. Everything about Brad allows us to take a step toward being successful and it’s the example that he’s set over the last few years that’s allowed the guys that have filled in behind him to do well.”
Head coach Chris Armas also spoke about Wright-Phillips’ leadership.
“It's great to have him back,” Armas said. “It was a big lift in the locker room before the game. At halftime, he's talking to the guys, even the staff a little bit. It's great to have him healthy and training with the team. He's one of the main leaders of this group. It's great to see him healthy back in the dressing room.”
It didn’t take long for BWP to make his presence felt, as he earned an assist on the third goal of the night. BWP was able to keep a ball alive on the sideline and play Kyle Duncan down the wing to set up a cross for Danny Royer.
Armas knows the value of having BWP back on the field making plays.
“Yeah, look, we needed more of that,” Armas said. “We needed more of guys keeping plays alive, doing what they can to make the extra pass. Keep the ball in tough moments. Brad got close to a few attacking plays, did a few good things, overall contribution -- look, it was a big demand -- the one toward the end there, I thought he met the demand.”
