PORTLAND, Ore. – Sometimes a great golazo just looks like a finisher is in the right place at the right time. Bradley Wright-Phillips’ thundering equalizer in the MLS All-Stars’ 2-1 win over Bayern Munich on Wednesday certainly looked of that serendipitous variety.
Not so. According to Erick “Cubo” Torres, whose header put Wright-Phillips in on goal for the 51st-minute strike, the game-changing play went exactly as scripted.
“We had a short chat before the game, [and] worked two days, but that was enough to make a good connection,” the Chivas USA striker told FutbolMLS.com in the postgame locker room. “What we talked about, we said, ‘If one of us comes forward, the other has to work on his back, you can go out there,’ and it worked.”
The play started from the back, when D.C. United defender Bobby Boswell took a pass from Maurice Edu outside the MLS All-Stars’ penalty box and chipped a long ball upfield. “Cubo” headed it forward into the path of Wright-Phillips, who snuck behind the backline, took a quick touch to control the ball and then launched a left-footed laser past Bayern ’keeper Tom Starke.
“When I saw the ball that came, I saw that [Boswell] chipped me, I connected with it and got a great play and [Wright-Phillips] scored with a great golazo,” Torres continued.
Exactly as they planned. Except for one small detail, according to Wright-Phillips.
“When it’s my left foot – obviously my left foot’s not too good – I just try and get a clean strike and today, it went in,” the New York Red Bull sniper told reporters. “Usually they go over the bar, but today, it went in.”
Jonah Freedman is the managing editor of MLSsoccer.com.
