LIke New York City, the MLS Player of the Week award is red.
New York Red Bulls striker Bradley Wright-Phillips was voted MLS Player of the Week for Week 12 by the North American Soccer Reporters (NASR), picking up the honor after notching two goals and an assist in the Red Bulls’ 7-0 mauling of New York City FC and adding a helper in their win against Chicago last week.
Wright-Phillips got his big week started on Wednesday, when he provided an assist on Mike Grella’s goal in the Red Bulls’ 1-0 home victory against Chicago. The English striker ran onto a Lloyd Sam through ball on the right side then clipped a nifty back-heel back to Sam, who found Grella streaking through the area for his 58th-minute winner.
Things only got better for Wright-Phillips and the Red Bulls’ on Saturday, when the Designated Player scored two goals and added an assist in the club’s 7-0 thrashing of Hudson River rivals New York City FC. Wright-Phillips scored the Red Bulls’ second and third goals, finding the back of the net in the span of five minutes late in the first-half to give his team a 3-0 halftime lead.
Grella setup Wright-Phillips for the first, making a great run through the left side of the area before clipping in a low cross that Wright-Phillips headed home from six yards out in the 42nd-minute.
Wright-Phillips did all the work for his second. Grella started the play, running down a loose ball on the left side following a Red Bulls corner. He lifted a cross into the area, with Red Bulls defender Aurelien Collin popping a contested header up in the air. The ball fell in the vicinity of Wright-Phillips, who found the bottom-right corner for an acrobatic bicycle kick finish in first-half stoppage time.
Wright-Phillips and the Red Bulls will return to action on Saturday, when they’ll host Sebastian Giovinco and Toronto FC at Red Bull Arena (7 pm ET; MLS LIVE in the US; SN360 in Canada).
