Bradley Wright-Phillips Talks Red Bulls-Chelsea and New York's Soccer Buzz

Entering his second full season with the New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer, Bradley Wright-Phillips made sure he turned himself into more of an all-around forward.

The scorer of 27 goals last season and winner of the league's Golden Boot focused on being more of provider heading into 2015 as well being the club's top scorer. 

Halfway through the 2015 campaign, Wright-Phillips has eight goals and six assists for the third-place club in the Eastern Conference. 

“It’s definitely something I wanted to work on. I get judged on goals, but I wasn’t happy on my return with assists last season," Wright-Phillips told Bleacher Report.

 "I had two (last year). I don’t think I’m the most creative player, but I do think I have (the skill) to create chances and it’s something I wanted to do more. I won’t score as many goals, but I’ll definitely get more assists. I’ll be involved in more team goals," the Red Bulls forward said. 

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Wright-Phillips and the Red Bulls are about to enter a busy stretch of matches that includes an International Champions Cup showdown with Chelsea on July 22 at Red Bull Arena. 

While the focus may be centered on the defending Premier League champions, the Red Bulls certainly want to prove their worth as well in the match. 

"When you’re playing against a European side, you want to show that we can play too. You want to prove MLS is a good league when you’re playing against those teams," the forward said. 

The Red Bulls will also face off against Benfica on July 26 at their home stadium, which has received high marks from past visitors. 

“They’ll definitely be impressed. Everyone that’s come here, they always compliment our stadium, staff and facilities. The fans are loud. There’s not many better places to play. It’s unbelievable," Wright-Phillips said of the European-esque environment in Harrison, New Jersey. 

"We have great facilities, a great stadium and a great training ground. It’s good for those guys to come over and see that it’s done properly over here. Before I came over here, I didn’t know anything about it," the former Charlton Athletic and Plymouth Argyle man said. 

As for the crowd the likes of Chelsea and Benfica can expect, it should be quite the large one given the increased interest in the sport, especially in the New York City area. The addition of New York City FC to MLS this season has also generated more talk about the beautiful game. 

"The World Cup changed it quite dramatically. After the World Cup, I’d see a lot more Red Bulls jerseys or NYCFC jerseys and it creates a rivalry. It creates more excitement for the two clubs in this area. It’s great for the country and for the city and for the players involved," Wright-Phillips said.

"I think it brings nothing but excitement. That rivalry needs some kind of hate and I think NYCFC have helped that. Since I’ve come here, it seems like it’s growing every year, but the World Cup and the USA men’s national team did a wonderful job and it helped," the forward continued. 

On top of impressing the European sides while they are in the United States, the matches will give some of the young players in the Red Bulls squad a chance to impress manager Jesse Marsch. 

"Jesse is not afraid to throw youngsters in. If I was a manager, it’d be something I’d be wary of. With Jesse, he’s not afraid and he tells them what he wants," Wright-Phillips said.

"I think if they were to be called upon at the important part of the season, I think they’d be more than ready to play because of the experience they’ve gained throughout the season." 

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Youngsters like center-back Matt Miazga, full-backs Sean Davis and Chris Duvall as well as forward Anatole Abang have already cracked the first team this season. 

“They’ve been brilliant. When they first came in it was hard. Jesse demands a lot from the young players and the senior players," Wright-Phillips said.

"They’re good guys. They want to learn. Sean Davis, Matt Miazga, [Anatole] Abang. When they’ve been called upon, they’ve done more than great. They could all start if it wasn’t for other guys," he continued.

Part of the busy period for the Red Bulls features a clash in the quarterfinal round of the U.S. Open Cup against Philadelphia on July 21. On top of thriving against international competition, the Red Bulls are also looking to claim a domestic crown. 

"It’s something we’re taking very seriously. We want to win the Open Cup. Everyone’s got to be ready," the forward said. 

The Red Bulls squad is also coming together at the right time, as they have won three of their last four league matches. 

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“I feel like in general we’re a team that’s learning. Most of us just came together at the beginning of the season. We were always going to have ups and downs," the 2014 Golden Boot winner said.

Before we started winning, we had a four-game losing streak and I think during that losing streak we learned a lot. Things are starting to click on the pitch now. I think it comes from learning from your mistakes and I think it’s all come together at moment," he said. 

With a team in form, we should expect to see the Red Bulls give Chelsea and Benfica a good challenge when the International Champions Cup comes to Red Bull Arena. 

Bleacher Report is Official Media Partner of the International Champions Cup North America.