Stejskal: Appreciate BWP for what he is – one of MLS' best-ever scorers

He doesn’t pop up in the same discussions as Robbie Keane or Sebastian Giovinco – or, if we’re being honest, Chris Wondolowski – but Bradley Wright-Phillips has quietly accumulated one of the best goal scoring records in MLS history over the last three years.

The leading scorer in Red Bulls history has been historically proficient in MLS, scoring 63 goals in 102 regular season games since joining New York in the summer of 2013.

All but one of those goals have come since the start of the 2014 season, with BWP tallying 62 goals in 95 appearances – truly an absurd rate; excellent strikers typically average a goal every other game – since the start of his Golden Boot year. He could be in line for another top scorer honor in 2016, as the 31-year-old Englishman currently leads the league with 18 goals through 29 of the Red Bulls’ 34 regular season matches.

Those numbers are really nice on their own. They’re even better when we put them in historical context.

Consider this: among players with at least 50 career regular season goals, Wright-Phillips is MLS’ all-time leader with 0.70 goals per 90 minutes played.

Take that minimum down to 40 goals, and the ranking is similar, with BWP checking in at third behind former Columbus Crew SC striker Stern John (44 goals in 55 games; 0.89 goals per 90) and ex-Tampa Bay, New England and New York forward Mamadou Diallo (47 goals in 74 games; 0.72 goals per 90).

Those two did their damage in a more goal-friendly era, too. In John’s two seasons in MLS, the average game featured 3.21 goals. That number dipped slightly to 3.17 during Diallo’s three years in the league. The MLS average for goals in a match has dropped significantly since then, with the league-wide number sitting at 2.80 in BWP’s three full seasons with the Red Bulls.

Wright-Phillips’ goal rate even clocks in just ahead of Keane’s (81 goals in 122 games; 0.69 goals per 90), a man who many MLS scouts, coaches and GMs consider the greatest player in league history.

All-time MLS goals per 90 leaders (minimum 40 goals)

The numbers are clear, but we still don’t give Wright-Phillips the same amount of love as the Keanes, Giovincos and David Villas of the league.

I think the reason why largely boils down to pedigree. Wright-Phillips didn’t have the most heralded career before coming to the Red Bulls, bouncing around the English Championship and League One for the better part of a decade prior to moving to MLS. He was known primarily for being the other member of the Wright-Phillips family, with father Ian and brother/Red Bulls teammate Shaun collecting the fame, Premier League contracts and England caps that eluded Bradley.

We all know that MLS fans can be sensitive about how outsiders perceive the league. Everyone expects players like Keane, Giovinco and Villa to come in and have success. They were all stars at the highest level, at one point or another. They should dominate – only the hardcore haters would consider bashing the league when they rack up gaudy stats.

Guys like Wright-Phillips are a bit different. BWP scored plenty of goals in England, but no one would argue he had near the resume as Keane, Giovinco or Villa when he came to the league. Conventional wisdom would say that he shouldn’t have as much success in MLS. I think there's a prevailing sense that if we celebrate his excellence the same way we do that of his higher-profile peers, some could use it as an argument against the league's overall quality. 

That’s silly, of course. It doesn’t matter what Wright-Phillips’ record says or doesn’t say about the state of the league. The only thing that counts is his ability to light up the scoreboard. He’s done that at a historic rate during his time in MLS, and, with six goals in his last five games, shows no signs of slowing down. We should all appreciate that a little bit more.