Sunday will feature a battle of two of the best strikers in MLS, when Bradley Wright-Phillips and the New York Red Bulls come to Florida to take on Orlando City SC and Cyle Larin (4 pm ET | ESPN in US, MLS LIVE in Canada).
Larin is on a steady pace to start the season, with three goals in three games, while BWP has two goals in five MLS regular season appearances. Overall, Larin has 34 goals since he entered MLS in 2015, to Wright-Phillips' 43 in the same time period.
Beyond the goals, however, it's worth looking at what each player brings to the table. While scoring is a striker's primary job, these days even the very best forwards need to do more than just put the ball in the back of the net.
Which player has been stronger in those other aspects of the game? Larin has more Audi Player Index points on average than Wright-Phillips, 638 to 421, but the Red Bulls sniper has been more impactful in other areas, including in defense.
As you can see in the graphic, Wright-Phillips has made a much stronger impact in tackles won and clearances headed compared to Larin. And while Larin's key passes number is better than Wright-Phillips, a stat not to be discounted, the Englishman has more successful passes overall, by a two-to-one ratio, in Audi Player Index points.
So while Larin's off to a better start in the goals category than Wright-Phillips, and he's been absolutely crucial to Orlando City's attack thus far, having tallied all of his team's goals to date, Wright-Phillips is making a case that he's putting in a more complete game for his team week to week. It will be interesting to see which player comes out on top on Sunday.
