BWP Comments On 2019 Red Bull Season - 11/04/19 09:11 PM
NEW YORK RED BULLS FORWARD BRADLEY WRIGHT-PHILLIPS
On 2019 season…
The season as a whole was obviously disappointing. We lose a game, get knocked out in the playoffs. You got to feel for the fans. The boys gave it all but wasn’t good enough. I think there is a lot of things to be proud of. The guys that came out of the USL and showed they could play in this league, not just play, do well and stand out. Christian [Casseres Jr.] comes to mind, Tom Barlow, Brian White, if I’m missing anyone, Kyle Duncan came in and done well. I think there’s a lot of positives here with the guys coming in have done well, but as a whole, we’re the New York Red Bulls and we’re looking to win the MLS Cup and we didn’t do that. For me, it’s a little disappointing.
On future…
We haven’t had our end of season meetings yet. You never know, I could fired. You don’t know. I’m not really sure why it’s up in the air when we have our end of season meeting and I’ll go from there. I don’t know who it is that thinks I’m done, but it isn’t me. I had an injury. I didn’t get the full fitness this season. I’m definitely not done. I keep hearing this retirement talk. I’ve never had thoughts about leaving the game. I just had a groin injury and it didn’t go away. For me, it’s about getting fit over the offseason and coming back stronger.
On personal season…
I’ve had a few tough seasons, but for Red Bulls, this was the toughest year for sure. It’s been frustrating. I’ve been injured and not been my best and even when I came back, I just wanted to try and help out, do what I could off the bench but that didn’t go to plan.
On conversation with Luis Robles after Sunday’s game…
I wouldn’t remember but I’ve been in the locker room with some of these guys for a few years in Ryan [Meara’s] and Luis’s corner, it’s probably something emotional and touching. It’s my guy. He’s a great keeper, good captain, and with the situation now, you just never know.
On expectation to come back…
That’s a funny question. Like I said, after end of season meeting, I’ll go from there. I don’t know, I’m still trying to get over my injuries. It’s been annoying and I haven’t thought about, ‘do I want to leave? Do they want to keep me?’ I just want to get fit because if I’m not fit, that doesn’t matter. It’ll be the same production I had this year. I’ve never had this injury, but I’ve heard that people have come back from it. I don’t see why I can’t.
On changing high press tactics…
That was our game plan sometimes. We didn’t just want to go all out all the time. When people play us and they expect us to a high press, so if we come out and sit back a bit, and then you catch them unaware and press them a little deeper. It gives us another way of attacking, another way of defending, that was done on purpose. That was another tactic of Chris [Armas]. A lot of times it worked. Even towards the end of the season, you see when we actually had our shape right and guys weren’t running all over the place, it was, I think, three games that we didn’t concede a goal. I think when we got that right on days, we were hard to beat. It was good and it was another way to press, another style of Red Bulls.
On inconsistent play…
I’ve sat back and thought about it a lot of time and I don’t really know what it’s been. I think there are a lot of new players that are playing and getting a lot of minutes. It could have been that or it could have been teams that figured us out. It could have been guys that not giving 100 percent. Obviously, we all think we’re all giving 100 percent but there’s got to be a reason. I’m not really sure which one it is. We were just a little bit too inconsistent this year and not really sure why.
On outside factors impacting play…
You get asked those things during the season and you have to understand that when you’re in the changing room, you’re with your friends. Those things don’t get spoken about. What’s on a person’s mind personally, I would never know. In the changing room, how people feel or what get spoken about, it doesn’t come into it. Every day we go train, we give 100 percent and sometimes it doesn’t work. That’s the one thing about Red Bulls, every year, the change room is a place I don’t know if people outside get it. It’s a really close changing room and it was no different this year.
On Michael Amir Murillo out of the lineup…
That’s due to form and Kyle Duncan playing well, Rece Buckmaster coming in and doing well. When I see Murillo, he’s a baller. He’s never going to come to training and not try. Maybe he just fell out of form, it happens. He’s a footballer, he’s not going to be great every day, no one is. As far as Murillo, his attitude and stuff is good.
On Connor Lade…
First impression I can remember, he was small. [laughs] Lade’s my guy, my roomie. Ever since I got here, he’s one of the first guys I first spoke to. It was cool, me, him and Ryan [Meara]. It’s sad to see him leave the game. I’ll be texting him every now and again just saying ‘one more year’ because he has so much to offer. If you are looking at a Red Bull player and someone has to see into the system, how we play, how things are done around the training ground, around the arena, it’s Connor Lade. It’s going to be sad to see him go.
On Red Bulls career…
Looking back on my time if I was leaving or if something works out and I’m not here, it’s been great. Even this season, it’s been frustrating for me, personally, but it’s been great to see the younger guys get a chance and do well with their chances. It’s been amazing and, obviously, it’s not how you’d want to end with me personally, but that’s football, it can’t always be good. To think of another team right now, that’s crazy.
On 2019 season…
The season as a whole was obviously disappointing. We lose a game, get knocked out in the playoffs. You got to feel for the fans. The boys gave it all but wasn’t good enough. I think there is a lot of things to be proud of. The guys that came out of the USL and showed they could play in this league, not just play, do well and stand out. Christian [Casseres Jr.] comes to mind, Tom Barlow, Brian White, if I’m missing anyone, Kyle Duncan came in and done well. I think there’s a lot of positives here with the guys coming in have done well, but as a whole, we’re the New York Red Bulls and we’re looking to win the MLS Cup and we didn’t do that. For me, it’s a little disappointing.
On future…
We haven’t had our end of season meetings yet. You never know, I could fired. You don’t know. I’m not really sure why it’s up in the air when we have our end of season meeting and I’ll go from there. I don’t know who it is that thinks I’m done, but it isn’t me. I had an injury. I didn’t get the full fitness this season. I’m definitely not done. I keep hearing this retirement talk. I’ve never had thoughts about leaving the game. I just had a groin injury and it didn’t go away. For me, it’s about getting fit over the offseason and coming back stronger.
On personal season…
I’ve had a few tough seasons, but for Red Bulls, this was the toughest year for sure. It’s been frustrating. I’ve been injured and not been my best and even when I came back, I just wanted to try and help out, do what I could off the bench but that didn’t go to plan.
On conversation with Luis Robles after Sunday’s game…
I wouldn’t remember but I’ve been in the locker room with some of these guys for a few years in Ryan [Meara’s] and Luis’s corner, it’s probably something emotional and touching. It’s my guy. He’s a great keeper, good captain, and with the situation now, you just never know.
On expectation to come back…
That’s a funny question. Like I said, after end of season meeting, I’ll go from there. I don’t know, I’m still trying to get over my injuries. It’s been annoying and I haven’t thought about, ‘do I want to leave? Do they want to keep me?’ I just want to get fit because if I’m not fit, that doesn’t matter. It’ll be the same production I had this year. I’ve never had this injury, but I’ve heard that people have come back from it. I don’t see why I can’t.
On changing high press tactics…
That was our game plan sometimes. We didn’t just want to go all out all the time. When people play us and they expect us to a high press, so if we come out and sit back a bit, and then you catch them unaware and press them a little deeper. It gives us another way of attacking, another way of defending, that was done on purpose. That was another tactic of Chris [Armas]. A lot of times it worked. Even towards the end of the season, you see when we actually had our shape right and guys weren’t running all over the place, it was, I think, three games that we didn’t concede a goal. I think when we got that right on days, we were hard to beat. It was good and it was another way to press, another style of Red Bulls.
On inconsistent play…
I’ve sat back and thought about it a lot of time and I don’t really know what it’s been. I think there are a lot of new players that are playing and getting a lot of minutes. It could have been that or it could have been teams that figured us out. It could have been guys that not giving 100 percent. Obviously, we all think we’re all giving 100 percent but there’s got to be a reason. I’m not really sure which one it is. We were just a little bit too inconsistent this year and not really sure why.
On outside factors impacting play…
You get asked those things during the season and you have to understand that when you’re in the changing room, you’re with your friends. Those things don’t get spoken about. What’s on a person’s mind personally, I would never know. In the changing room, how people feel or what get spoken about, it doesn’t come into it. Every day we go train, we give 100 percent and sometimes it doesn’t work. That’s the one thing about Red Bulls, every year, the change room is a place I don’t know if people outside get it. It’s a really close changing room and it was no different this year.
On Michael Amir Murillo out of the lineup…
That’s due to form and Kyle Duncan playing well, Rece Buckmaster coming in and doing well. When I see Murillo, he’s a baller. He’s never going to come to training and not try. Maybe he just fell out of form, it happens. He’s a footballer, he’s not going to be great every day, no one is. As far as Murillo, his attitude and stuff is good.
On Connor Lade…
First impression I can remember, he was small. [laughs] Lade’s my guy, my roomie. Ever since I got here, he’s one of the first guys I first spoke to. It was cool, me, him and Ryan [Meara]. It’s sad to see him leave the game. I’ll be texting him every now and again just saying ‘one more year’ because he has so much to offer. If you are looking at a Red Bull player and someone has to see into the system, how we play, how things are done around the training ground, around the arena, it’s Connor Lade. It’s going to be sad to see him go.
On Red Bulls career…
Looking back on my time if I was leaving or if something works out and I’m not here, it’s been great. Even this season, it’s been frustrating for me, personally, but it’s been great to see the younger guys get a chance and do well with their chances. It’s been amazing and, obviously, it’s not how you’d want to end with me personally, but that’s football, it can’t always be good. To think of another team right now, that’s crazy.