Ask most people around the league, and Bradley Wright-Phillips has always been a legend. Now it's official.
The former New York Red Bulls striker, who has been vocal about his discomfort with accolades, a tough prospect for a player among the most decorated goal scorers in MLS history, was etched into history last week when his former team placed his name on Legends Row at Sports Illustrated Arena. There's no questioning his credentials now.
"I think the one moment that hit me is when they lifted up the banner, and my name was on there. I'm just a guy from South London all the way in, like, New York, New Jersey. When I saw my name on the stadium here, when that got lifted up, I was like, 'wow, that's like, forever,'" Wright-Phillips tells GOAL.
His discomfort with it all is understandable when you look at the state of the league, which is now packed with legends. It hasn't been the most straightforward season for one of then, though. Lionel Messi's Inter Miami might be well in the playoff hunt, but the Argentine himself isn't exactly playing his best stuff.
"Messi looks a little bit tired. I haven't seen a performance from Messi like those performances, where it's like 'this guy's a joke.' There's been little snippets, little flashes, but they're just not clicking for a whole 90 minutes," Wright-Phillips adds.
In fact, Wright-Phillips is looking elsewhere for potential MLS Cup winners. Nashville, San Jose, and Vancouver are all good shouts, he says. And there is always danger in writing off Seattle and veteran coach Brian Schmetzer.
But it's also a World Cup year, which means a little more focus on Wright-Phillips' beloved England. He was raised in South London, and the Three Lions are still dear to his heart - even if he now lives Stateside. This year, he really does think that football will come home.
"[England] have the talent. We have the talent, we've got a new coach. We can get to the semis, I wouldn't say easy, because it's the World Cup, but we can get ourselves there, and hopefully Tuchel can work some magic, and we can get over the line," he adds.
It's going to be an action-packed summer. MLS will go on hold, and then the world's game will descend on the U.S. Wright-Phillips covers the former for Apple TV, and he won't be able to take his eyes off the latter. The New York Red Bulls legend talked legacy, Inter Miami, Nashville, and more, in the latest edition of Mic'd Up, a recurring feature in which GOAL taps into the perspective of analysts, announcers, and other pundits on the state of soccer in the U.S. and abroad.
NOTE: This interview has been lightly edited for brevity and clarity.
