Media Day with Bradley Wright-Phillips

February 20, 2017 MetroFanatic: Brad, early last year some fans wanted you off the team.

Bradley Wright-Phillips: Yeah. (laughs) MF: I think they were very stupid...

BWP: That's football, that's football. In football, the world of football is so used to changes, that these things get said sometimes. Once your teammates and your coaching staff is happy with you, you're good to go. MF: I think you got jiffed in the MVP vote. You should have been... You scored more than Villa.

BWP: It's not just about goals. Me as a player, I wouldn't want to be know for just goals. I want to bring something else to the table. MF: But I think you have a much more complete game than say two years ago.

BWP: (laughs) No, no, I agree with that. I try and get more assists each year, try to link up play more. The MVP is not everything. I think the team was more disappointed in not getting at least in the final of MLS Cup. There is bigger things to worry about. MF: In Montreal, at the road game, you missed...

BWP: Yeah. It was a big chance. MF: Not exactly a sitter...

BWP: It was a sitter. Well, I said after, in the couple of interviews after, in both boxes, in that whole series, we wasn't good enough. I missed that chance, we missed the penalty here, the goals they got were not very good. It was a lot of things, in both boxes, we wasn't great. MF: They got three chances, and they got three goals.

BWP: Yeah, and that can't happen. MF: That's soccer.

BWP: No, not really, that can't happen. MF: Let's hope not. Speaking of chances: penalties, you started out great...

BWP: (laughs) MF: And now it's a little...

BWP: Now it's a little shaky. I dunno, I dunno, maybe they've done their homework, maybe I'm not hitting them good enough. I really don't know. I have to see if I get another one. MF: Your brother is gone, you are the only Wright-Phillips once again.

BWP: Yeah. MF: Is he retiring?

BWP: No, he's gonna play... I think he's going to Phoenix. I'm not really sure. MF: Phoenix?

BWP: Maybe, I don't want to talk too much, because I don't really know too much. MF: So he's staying in America?

BWP: Yeah, he'll definitely be in America. It's good, I'm used to living in different cities and different countries for Shaun. It's alright, as long as he's happy. MF: We talked a bit online about how this club doesn't have a signature player to define it.

BWP: Yeah. MF: Do you have the chance to be this club's signature player? Because, Henry is really Arsenal...

BWP: Yeah, yeah. MF: Who is New York's, MetroStars', Red Bulls'?

BWP: True. I dunno, it's a big ask. It depends on my form, really, if we're being honest, it depends on how well I do in the time that I'm given. It would be a great thing, obviously. It doesn't just happen because you want it to, it's a lot of hard work. The form has to stay high. MF: Regular season plus playoffs, you're about at 75 goals, can 100 happen?

BWP: I hate when records... MF: Well, 100 is a big number!

BWP: I know, I don't want to talk about numbers. If I go into the season thinking like that, that'll be terrible. MF: OK, screw numbers.

BWP: (laughs) But I hear what you're saying. MF: It's a milestone, that's all.

BWP: I know. MF: You were a trialist when you came to the team, there was another guy from Germany at the same time.

BWP: Yeah, Sebastian, I remember him. MF: So, noone expected from you... Screw numbers, you are a top scorer in this team's history. Did you expect to be here four years ago?

BWP: It's weird, because in England, you don't do this. Someone wouldn't say to you, especially if you played professional for a long time, they wouldn't say, come on trial. And I remember my representative told me, they said come and train for a while, and I was like... seems a bit, you know, like, a bit of a risk. I don't know if I just want to go and train, I can go to another club then. I said, you know what, what the hell, I came here, Thierry Henry was here, it was a nice chance to get to train and play with someone like that. MF: He was pretty good.

BWP: Yeah, he was decent. (laughs) MF: That's the money quote!

BWP: I thought just come over, give it a try, see what the facilities are like. I obviously didn't think past getting signed for a year or two. But now, I couldn't see myself anywhere else. It's weird how things work out. I knew I could score goals if I got the chance to play with Thierry, because of his vision. If you get chances, you can score goals. MF: And some people were saying, when Thierry is gone, Bradley is not gonna score anymore... You proved them wrong, of course.

BWP: You don't understand, with some people, it makes them happy to say negative things. I read Twitter sometimes, not even about me, I just seem them talking about top strikers... MF: Don't read Twitter!

BWP: No, not about me, even about top players like Rooney, and they just say silly things. And I sit back and I think, this is not about Rooney, this is for themselves. You don't want me to score those goals, you want me to fail, so you can feel happy. That's what I realized. MF: Are you the best 99 in history of soccer?

BWP: (laughs) I have to see. I don't want to make a mistake, there could be a great one, I'm not sure. We'll leave it open, let the fans decide.