HARRISON, N.J.—Mired in a scoring drought that saw him net all of one goal through seven matches, Bradley Wright-Phillips ended his slump on Sunday with a brace to lift his New York Red Bulls past NYCFC 4-1 at Red Bull Arena.
"It means a lot to me," Wright-Phillips said about the budding #NYDerby. "I want to score in these games and play very well."
Those aren't empty words, either. Wright-Phillips has a history of success against NYCFC, dating back to their first meeting of 2015. The London native has scored eight goals through six matches all-time against the Red Bulls' cross-river rivals. In fact, he has scored in five of those six encounters, often leading the way towards dominant Red Bull performances (the Red Bulls sport a 5-1-0 mark all-time against NYCFC).
According to Wright-Phillips, those performances are spurred along by his lifelong embrace of derbies.
"Me growing up watching derbies, I am a big Arsenal fan," Wright-Phillips. "You watch Arsenal, Tottenham and you see what it means to the players and the fans involved in these games. I kind of grew with that kind of feeling."
But his performances run deeper than emotional satisfaction. Wright-Phillips also has a history of using the local rivalry to better his personal campaign. Playing NYCFC broke his recent drought, just as it did earlier this season when Wright-Phillips tallied a brace after scoring just three goals in the team's first 12 matches. Last season, he used the Red Bulls' second encounter against NYCFC to end a six-match drought as well.
After each performance, Wright-Phillips celebrated with gusto. Whether chiding the NYCFC supporters after goals or relishing in victory with the Red Bulls faithful, New York's star striker has always thrived under the glare of the derby. Sunday was no different.
"The first time we ever played them, I wanted to be the first to score in this game," Wright-Phillips said. "I don't do it on purpose. It just means so much more to me when I'm out there. I want it, I want to get goals and I want to be remembered in the derby."
