Photo by Eric Hartline/USA TODAY Sports
By JOE TANSEY
CHESTER, Pa. — Since Shaun Wright-Phillips started training with the New York Red Bulls, the players in the squad were aware of the impact he would make once he touched the field in a Red Bulls uniform.
Wright-Phillips gave the Red Bulls a taste of what he can do in the run up toward the playoffs during the club’s 3-1 win over the Philadelphia Union on Saturday. After entering in the 61st minute, Wright-Phillips earned a penalty and assisted on brother Bradley’s 74th-minute goal.
“We knew he’d make a difference. He’s been training with us for the past few weeks. We know what he’s capable of. To our advantage, the league is not fully aware of what he’s capable of,” Red Bulls goalkeeper Luis Robles said.
The addition of the former Manchester City, Chelsea and Queens Park Rangers man changed the complexion of the match, which many in the Red Bulls locker room admit wasn’t their best of the season by any stretch of the imagination.
“(The first half)’s easily the worst 45 minutes we’ve had this season,” Robles said.
“We were a little flat. We were not as sharp as we normally are. We weren’t covering as much ground. We couldn’t really establish our rhythm. We came in at the half and we weren’t happy,” Red Bulls boss Jesse Marsch added.
Five minutes after entering the Eastern Conference showdown, Wright-Phillips earned a penalty. He was brought down by Philadelphia debutante Tranquillo Barnetta 30 seconds after the Swiss international’s entrance at PPL Park.
“I think in the second half, even from the start, the boys started stringing some passes together. I just thought when I come on, to kind of add to that and create a few chances that some of us can get on the end of us,” Shaun Wright-Phillips said.
Wright-Phillips also played a vital role in creating his brother’s ninth goal of the season.
“To be honest, when the ball came down, I was just thinking about making some space to try and get an assist and put somebody on the end of it.,” Shaun said. “It worked out perfectly. Luckily my brother was there.”
“When (Shaun) came on, he looked sharp, He did what he was supposed to do. He got in behind the full-back, won a penalty and got an assist on a goal for me. It was an all-around good performance for a debut,” Bradley Wright-Phillips said of his brother’s performance.
The 74th-minute go-ahead goal marked the first time the pair connected on a goal. Bradley did admit there were chances for the pair to link up in the past.
“He tried to set me up when I was at (Manchester) City with him. He got mad at me because I couldn’t finish them. Today, I made sure I concentrated on the cut back and put it in the back of the net,” BWP said.
“It’s always going to have meaning if you can help your brother achieve his targets. The most meaningful part is we got three points on the road,” SWP said.
Looking past SWP’s first appearance in a Red Bulls shirt, his teammates are certain he will replicate Saturday’s performance as the race for the playoff spots in Eastern Conference heats up.
“People are going to take notice,” Robles said. “He’s a fantastic player and his resume speaks for itself. He’s going to be a big part of what we’re doing in the second part of the season.”
red bull will take the points, and not the best performance all around.
good signing for them – England/world cup player for supposedly sub DP monies, good add on to the attackers which can now be rotated well…
RBNY are one solid defender away from being among the very best teams in MLS.
Say what you will about the Red Bulls playing badly, but they actually defended really well(except for Anthony Wallace, who just flat out sucks and doesn’t belong in MLS). Miazga and Perrinelle broke up everything that came their way. Same goes for McCarty, who seemed to be the man that broke up every dangerous Union attack. Even Connor Lade had a very good game on the right.
Looks like we watched a different game. RBNY stunk up the first half. I figured they’d be lucky to steal a point. If Pfeffer and LeToux could finish, the Union would have walked out with a point, or perhaps three since they may not have had to pull a defender for a forward late in the game. I think you give SWP entirely too little credit and it appears that, even at 33, he’s still got a bit left in the tank.
Moreover, Luis Robles made a couple world-class saves. So, even if you are pessimistic about the Union’s chances down the stretch because of their record, they weren’t exactly mailing it in last night.
I wouldn’t read too much into the guy’s effect yet. The article was a lot like the game. Only one team in it. The union have all but quit on the season. Again. Please sell!!
I hope you aren’t serious. Yes, the Union controlled a large portion of the match but even though the Red Bulls didn’t play well, they still created 4 or 5 very dangerous opportunities. Philly also didn’t have their shooting boots on. When that happens, as we all should know, no matter how much a team “dominates” the game, they aren’t going to win without converting their chances.
I think he was saying the opposite, that the Red Bulls were the only team in it. Though that’s obviously not true as the Union had some good stretches of play.