New York Red Bulls striker Bradley Wright-Phillips is on the cusp of winning the MLS Golden Boot for the second time in three seasons. He’s got 23 goals, one more than New York City FC’s David Villa with one game left in the season, so it’s not yet a foregone conclusion, but he’s in the driver’s seat with a week to go.
Bradley Wright-Phillips wins MLS Player of the Week for Week 33
Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports
It’s a remarkable achievement for Wright-Phillips, the son of a legendary striker and the brother of a former regular England international. BWP arrived in MLS an English lower-league journeyman, and someone who looked like just the latest inferior brother of a star to join the Red Bulls, following the likes of John Rooney (Wayne’s bro) and Digao (Kaká‘s irmão).
But full credit to Wright-Phillips for breaking the mold, biding his time once he arrived in New York and then bursting out on the scene with a MLS record-tying 27-goal season in 2014. After “only” scoring 17 goals last year, he became the first player in MLS history to notch two 20+ goal seasons in the league this year. Not bad for being known for most of his career as the son and brother of more famous professionals.
Wright-Phillips was also voted SB Nation’s MLS Player of the Week for Week 33, based on his two-goal performance in a 3-2 win over Columbus Crew SC on Sunday.
Full results for Week 33, with first-place votes getting three points, second-place votes receiving two points, and third-place votes earning a point each:
| Player | Points |
| Bradley Wright-Phillips | 27 |
| Ignacio Piatti | 17 |
| Carlos Ruiz | 5 |
| Adam Jahn | 4 |
| Mauro Diaz | 3 |
| The Crossbar* | 3 |
| Lloyd Sam | 2 |
| Jozy Altidore | 2 |
| Patrick Mullins | 1 |
| Bobby Boswell | 1 |
| David Bingham | 1 |
* The Bent Musket decided to vote for an inanimate object as their top vote. Seems like the end of the season couldn’t come soon enough in New England.
And here are the full ballots for Week 33:
| Voter | 1st | 2nd | 3rd |
| Austin Fido (Once a Metro) | Bradley Wright-Phillips | Lloyd Sam | Carlos Ruiz |
| Jake Catanese (The Bent Musket) | The Crossbar | Carlos Ruiz | Patrick Mullins |
| Drew Epperley (Big D Soccer) | Bradley Wright-Phillips | Mauro Diaz | Adam Jahn |
| Jason Longshore (Dirty South Soccer) | Bradley Wright-Phillips | Ignacio Piatti | Carlos Ruiz |
| Michael Citro (The Mane Land) | Bradley Wright-Phillips | Ignacio Piatti | Adam Jahn |
| Dave Clark (Sounder at Heart) | Ignacio Piatti | Bradley Wright-Phillips | Bobby Boswell |
| Mike Gray (LAG Confidential) | Bradley Wright-Phillips | Ignacio Piatti | Carlos Ruiz |
| Jason Anderson (Black & Red United) | Ignacio Piatti | Adam Jahn | Bradley Wright-Phillips |
| Robert Jonas (Center Line Soccer) | Bradley Wright-Phillips | Jozy Altidore | Ignacio Piatti |
| Eugene Rupinski (Brotherly Game) | Bradley Wright-Phillips | Ignacio Piatti | David Bingham |
| Alicia Rodriguez (Angels on Parade) | Bradley Wright-Phillips | Ignacio Piatti | Mauro Diaz |
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