HARRISON, N.J. – Bradley Wright-Phillips has shown no signs of slowing down for the New York Red Bulls.
After finding the goal in nine of his previous 11 matches, the English striker was once again the difference maker for the Red Bulls, scoring the eventual game winner in a 3-2 victory over Columbus Crew SC.
The win all but secured the Red Bulls place atop of the Eastern Conference. It also kept Wright-Phillips a goal ahead of David Villa in the MLS Golden Boot race.
But none of that was on the mind of Wright-Phillips after the match. Always his own worst critic, the Red Bulls striker focused on his own flaws first before he could comment on anything else.
Asked if he was happy with his performance on the evening, Wright-Phillips flatly said, "Not really."
"[Yes] goals-wise," he said. "First half, I didn't have much to say or much to do. It was an alright performance."
But that is not to say he wasn't proud of the result. Wright-Phillips immediately pivoted to the team's success and the importance of closing in on the East title.
Despite a hesitance to brag about his performance, he did speak on his goal celebration on the brace – an act dedicated to his wife.
"My wife is six months pregnant and I've been forgetting to do it for a long time now. Even on the first goal I forgot!" Wright-Phillips said with a laugh. "After the first goal I thought, 'She is going to flipping kill me.' I was dying to score again [so] I went straight for the ball and honored her."
Whatever the motivation, Wright-Phillips won't complain about the result. New York are currently three points ahead of New York City FC for the top of the Eastern Conference. Should NYCFC win next week, they would still need the Red Bulls to lose and somehow concede their +13 goal differential tiebreaker.
That, Wright-Phillips said, is a testament to the team – particularly after starting the season at a woeful 1-6-0.
"It shows the character of this team," he said. "We turned the corner and never looked back."
