A Bradley Wright-Phillips hat trick paced the New York Red Bulls to a 5-1 thrashing of USL Championship side Phoenix Rising FC on Sunday afternoon, as the two sides met in a friendly match that was free and open to the public at Naranja Park in Oro Valley, Arizona.
In a picturesque setting north of Tucson with a mountainous backdrop and fans lining the perimeter of the pitch in a fashion reminiscent of a youth soccer game, the Red Bulls fielded what appeared to be a full-strength starting XI and got a suitably strong performance.
BWP headed home a cross from Michael Amir Murillo just six minutes after the opening whistle and RBNY took a 3-1 lead into halftime; Alejandro Romero “Kaku” Gamarra and Alex Muyl also scored for the Red Bulls.
RBNY open their 2019 campaign in just over a week, with a Concacaf Champions League match vs. Atletico Pantoja in the Dominican Republic on Wednesday, Feb. 20.
Goals
- 6’ - RBNY - Bradley Wright-Phillips
- 38' - RBNY - Wright-Phillips
- 40' - RBNY - Kaku
- 42' - PHX - Ben Spencer
- 56’ - RBNY - Alex Muyl
- 63’ - RBNY - Wright-Phillips
New York Red Bulls’ starting XI vs. Phoenix Rising FC: Luis Robles; Connor Lade, Aaron Long, Tim Parker, Michael Murillo; Marc Rzatkowski, Sean Davis; Daniel Royer, Kaku, Alex Muyl; Bradley Wright-Phillips
