When Jesse Marsch became the New York Red Bulls coach in 2015, Bradley Wright-Phillips had just completed one of the most impressive goal-scoring seasons in Major League Soccer history: 27 goals in 32 games. But Marsch wanted more from his talented striker.
Marsch was shifting the Red Bulls toward a more high-tempo, high-intensity brand of soccer that pressed and squeezed their opponents. To do this, he needed his best player to buy in and become a leader.
“It wasn’t going to be possible for…