“I was like a kid going back to school.” That was Bradley Wright Phillips earlier this month, right after his playing his first game since April 2019, and scoring within the first 19 minutes of it.
But, he’s 35! Yes, but it’s Bradley Wright Phillips. It took BWP 159 matches to become the fastest player to reach 100 goals in MLS history. And you just knew, with his taste of that first goal this month, the player who inherited the name of the Arsenal legend Ian Wright, the player who self-reports as a greedy English striker, would get more. And, that is what he did, but with the dexterity and smoothness of a seasoned pro. Three goals in three games.
Bradley began his career at Manchester City in the 2004/05 season, it took him a mere four minutes to register his first goal. A tally of 31 goals in just 37 games saw him break the Red Bulls record for goals scored in a single season. His last season there in 2019 that saw him convert only two goals ended abruptly due to a groin injury. But he is now recuperated and getting match-fit and at 111 all-time MLS goals, is poised to soon overtake LAFC assistant coach Ante Razov, who scored 114 goals.
featured image: Devin L’Amoreaux and Jared Martinez | MLSsoccer.com