Bradley Wright-Phillips has made two significant trips to New York. The first was on his first ever flight out of the UK, as a 13-year-old, when he came to the city on holiday.

“That was pretty special,” he says. “I have relatives in New York. And as it happened my cousin and I both picked up MetroStars shirts – I think they were Nike at the time and we liked the red and black. And now years later I’m playing for New York Red Bulls [the reincarnation of the former New York/New Jersey MetroStars].”

Wright-Phillips’ other significant trip to the Metro region came last year, when he was an out-of-contract, out-of-favour player at Charlton Athletic. A somewhat random training stint in New York turned into a contract, and that in turn has seen Wright-Phillips, playing alongside none other than the Arsenal great Thierry Henry, turn into Major League Soccer’s leading scorer.

The striker describes his transatlantic move as nothing less than a happy accident. “I’d definitely underestimated [MLS] before, you know? Or not really thought about it … and then I got here and watched a few games and teams really try to play and knock it about a bit. And of course being in New York, there’s no better city to be in, and the facilities are the best since I was at Manchester City or Southampton. So I just thought, ‘Why not?’ I just embraced it.”

If MLS has, in turn, embraced Wright-Phillips, it is also true that he is only one of a growing contingent of players in the league who formerly played their trade in England – examples include the former Derby County midfielder Giles Barnes, who is flourishing with the Houston Dynamo. Such growth indicates a trend, in which MLS has begun, slowly, to integrate itself with the global footballing business, below the level of splashy deals for the likes of David Beckham, Henry and, more recently, David Villa, Frank Lampard and Kaká to the 2015 expansion franchises New York City FC (Villa and Lampard) and Orlando City (Kaká).

Some players – such as the former Arsenal, Chelsea and England full-back Ashley Cole, who went to Roma instead of crossing the ocean – are still publicly dismissive of MLS. Wright-Phillips, typical of the tier of players he represents, is rather more pragmatic:

I can see if you were a top Premier League player only wanting to go to another Premier League team, but that wasn’t my situation and to me, playing here is no different than going to a Championship or good League One team … and you wouldn’t believe the number of calls and text I get every week from players wanting to come out.

It’s possible any such players heading to the US from the UK could yet cross flight paths with Wright-Phillips going the other way – according to the Red Bulls’ sporting director, Andy Roxburgh, international interest in the striker is growing. While the Red Bulls have been in indifferent form since winning the MLS Supporters’ Shield (awarded to the team with the best regular-season finish) in 2013, Wright-Phillips has been in sparkling form, partly prompted by Henry’s late-career turn as a deep-lying playmaker.

Eighteen regular-season goals have Wright-Phillips only one behind Juan Pablo Angel’s club record with 11 games still to play and his profile has been particularly high in the past few weeks, in which he scored the winner in an exhibition game against Arsenal and, last week, a spectacular equaliser for the MLS All-Stars in a noteworthy, not to say controversial 2-1 victory over Bayern Munich.

Wright-Phillips is understandably cautious about any transfer talk, though he insists he is enjoying his time in New York, which he saw as a fresh start rather than a shop window. When I ask him about the All-Star experience, though, he is decidedly animated:

“I didn’t know what to expect but it was a great three days, just meeting these guys and paying with them. Would I like to see a Premier League version? You know I was thinking about that on the plane back [from Portland, on the west coast]. Actually, I’m lying – since I was a kid I’ve imagined what would it be like to see a team of the best Premier League players against the best Italian or Spanish league players.

I know it would be hard to do, but I’d talk about it with my mates, like: ‘Imagine Thierry Henry playing up front with Wayne Rooney…’ Just something that recognises the best players at the end of the season. I think that’d be great.

Does Wright-Phillips still watch much of the Premier League? “Of course! I get up at 7am or whenever and here you have all the channels, and every single game live. I don’t think people in England necessarily realise how much we can watch here. I don’t miss it.

“Who’ll be top four this year? That’s usually easy – Arsenal is my team and they’ve got stronger. Manchester City and Manchester United will be in there, and Chelsea as well. I don’t know about relegation. The league gets stronger every year and the teams that come up can struggle if they don’t buy players, but other than that, I don’t have a name in my head.”

Wright-Phillips shoots on goal for the MLS All-Stars. Photograph: Steve Conner/Icon SMI/Corbis Photograph: Steve Conner/Icon SMI/ Steve Conner/Icon SMI/Corbis

I suggest that it can seem strange to come out of the bubble of English football into another culture. Wright-Phillips mentions the English footballer’s mindset of “we invented the game” and how it can cause players not to look beyond their own shores when there are growing and realistic options for careers elsewhere.

As for himself? “As long as I’m playing well, I’m happy, and happy playing anywhere.”

Right now, he’s very happy.