BWP closes in on record, lifts Red Bulls over Sounders

When Bradley Wright-Phillips was originally brought to MLS it was thought that he would be a bit player, a nice complement to Thierry Henry and whatever big star that the powers-that-be at Red Bull could wrangle. But as this season has progressed it has become abundantly clear that it is his presence, his ability as a striker is what makes this team work. In front of a nationally televised audience and 25,000 at Red Bull arena, Wright-Phillips added three goals on his march towards the MLS All-Time single-season scoring record and helped lift New York over the Seattle Sounders.

Wright-Phillips did not waste very long to put his name in the scoring ledger, tallying his first goal in just the first minute. Red Bulls midfielder Loyd Sam was able to find a large portion of space down the right flank and delivered a pass into Wright-Phillips. Although Wright-Phillips’ first shot was saved by Sounders goalkeeper Sebastian Frei, Frei’s save was scooped up by Red Bulls defender Chris Duvall. Duvall then passed the ball back into Wright-Phillips who finished his opportunity this time and gave the Red Bulls the 1-0 advantage.

Down a goal, the Sounders tried to get back into the match by finding space in between the Red Bulls defenders. Sounders midfielders Oswaldo Alonso and Lamar Neagle looked for forwards Kenny Cooper and Chad Barrett between the left and right defenders and their center-backs where there was often two to three feet of space. Seattle nearly converted on one of these opportunities in the 10th minute when Alonso found Cooper wide open inside the Red Bull penalty box. But Cooper’s shot just missed the upper right corner of the net.

Cooper would have another chance in the 27th minute when his header off of a corner kick by midfielder Marco Pappa just went over the bar. While Cooper and Barrett did a serviceable job the Sounders lacked buildup from the back, which limited their chances on the attacking end.

The Red Bulls continued to use their advantage in speed all throughout the match, forcing the Sounders defense into their own box and to hope that New York would not convert on their opportunities. This is not a completely flawed idea, given that the Red Bulls have had troubles on converting on their chances throughout this season. But the Red Bulls were given a tremendous opportunity in the 52nd minute when Seattle defender Dylan Remick pulled down Loyd Sam in the box. Wright-Phillips would convert the penalty to give New York the 2-0 lead.

The man from Lewisham, England would score again just one minute later when he would finish his hat trick off of a splendid pass by Henry. With his three goals on the evening, Wright-Phillips currently has twenty-four goals on the season. He is within three goals of the single-season record, currently shared by Roy Lassiter of the Tampa Bay Mutiny in 1996 and Chris Wondolowski of the San Jose Earthquakes back in 2012.

Sounders forward Clint Dempsey was able to take one back in the 61st minute, but Red Bulls forward Tim Cahill brought the lead back to four with his goal in the 64th minute. Red Bulls goalkeeper Luis Robles preserved the lead by making two diving saves late in the match giving the Red Bulls the full three points.

With the victory, the New York Red Bulls (10-8-11, 41 points) were able to hold on to their fourth-place position in the Eastern Conference standings. The club was also able to get within one point of third-place New England who lost this evening. New York will next play in the CONCACAF Champions as they will head down to Santa Ana, El Salvador to take on FAS (9/24 10PM Fox Sports 2).

For the Seattle Sounders (17-8-3, 54 points) this loss does not affect their first-place position in the Western Conference. The club is still three points ahead of the Los Angeles Galaxy, who will play later tonight. Seattle will need to shake off this loss pretty quickly as they will have a midweek road match against fourth-place F.C. Dallas (9/24 10pm).

MATCH SUMMARY

New York Red Bulls- Luis Robles, Chris Duvall, Jamison Olave, Ibrahim Sekagya, Roy Miller (Ian Christianson 84′,) Loyd Sam, Dax McCarty, Eric Alexander, Ambroise Oyongo Bitolo, Bradley Wright-Phillips (Tim Cahill 58′,) and Thierry Henry (Eric Stevenson 90+4′).

Goals: Wright-Phillips (1′, 54′, and 56′) and Cahill (65′)

Seattle Sounders- Stefan Frei, Janil Anibaba, Djmi Traore, Chad Marshall, Dylan Remick, Marco Pappa, Oswaldo Alonso (Gonzalo Pineda 80′,) Andy Rose, Lamar Neagle, Chad Barrett (Obafemi Martins 59′,) and Kenny Cooper (Clint Dempsey 60′).

Goal- Dempsey (62′)

ATTENDANCE: 25,000