Major League Soccer travel better than before but still a work in progress
TORONTO — When English striker Bradley Wright-Phillips arrived in Major League Soccer, he was looking forward to seeing North America.
Then the reality of MLS travel set in for the New York Red Bulls star.
“Little did I know some of the flights were seven hours,” recalled the charismatic Brit, perhaps exaggerating a tad. “When I got on the plane to Seattle, I felt like I got set up. I remember asking someone how long left and they said something like five hours. I had already finished the film. I was thinking ‘I’ll have a drink and then we’ll land.’ It’s crazy.”
The travel grind hasn’t derailed him. Including playoffs, Wright-Phillips has 76 goals since joining the Red Bulls in 2013 and won the Golden Boot Award as the league’s top goal-scorer in 2014 and ’16.