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New York Red Bulls: The reason RBNY retired Wright-Phillips’ number despite him still being active

By John Carroll Jr.

ATLANTA, GA - AUGUST 01: Bradley Wright-Phillips #99 of the MLS All-Stars reacts after failing to score on the fourth penality kick against Juventus during the 2018 MLS All-Star Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on August 1, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - AUGUST 01: Bradley Wright-Phillips #99 of the MLS All-Stars reacts after failing to score on the fourth penality kick against Juventus during the 2018 MLS All-Star Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on August 1, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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The New York Red Bulls won against a feisty LAFC team on Sunday in front of a large crowd at Red Bull Arena. However, the win is as important as the ceremony that followed.

The New York Red Bulls were set to play LAFC on National TV and then honor Bradley Wright-Phillips’ 100 career goals in a post-game ceremony.

However, as the day went on the team also announced it had a special announcement. So, for all the 20 some odd thousand there they got to see something so unique and special. The number retirement ceremony of an active player.

Not only did the Red Bulls win and celebrate a record achievement, they also retired the number synonymous with greatness in Harrison, the Number 99.

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Typically, we see numbers retired years after the actual players had. However, soccer is like no other sport. Despite Wright-Phillips having years still left in the tank and still playing at an elite level, no other New York Red Bull in history will wear his number ever again.

There is a reason why the Red Bulls are doing this. It is simple.

It is because Bradley Wright-Phillips is the exact type of star this league looks for and needs. He did not come to the Red Bulls after an illustrious career in Europe.

He is not with the Red Bulls because he cannot keep up with the pace of “better” leagues. Bradley Wright-Phillips might not be a home-grown talent but he is the kind of player every MLS club dreams of one day producing.

Wright-Phillips took a chance on MLS and the Red Bulls took a chance on him. Was he not better suited to play for a professional team back home in England? That is for a different day but he still chose to play here and where he made a name and career for himself.

This is a league where results mean more than anything. Sometimes people forget this. “BWP” might not yet have any trophies but he is still the greatest Red Bull of all-time. His number being immortalized at Red Bull arena shows that.

It does not matter that he is still active. He deserves to know how much he has meant and will continue to mean to the MLS and the Red Bulls.

He made a name for himself in this league for this team and nowhere else. He is the guy. BWP means so much to this league and the club he will now forever be a part of.

To say he has over 100 career goals in the quickest time ever is one thing. But, to know how much more it could be had he not made goals for his teammates easy so many times is a better thing.

He is a team player, the poster player for the Red Bulls, and he feels almost straight out of the MLS factory. He hits every nail on the head in terms of what they need their stars to be.

Loyalty, passion, tenure, and execution. He demonstrates those things each and every match no matter what pitch he is on.

The best part is, BWP knows he wants to win an MLS Cup for the Red Bulls faithful. He looked uncomfortable during his ceremony on Sunday and just wants the team to win.

If all he has left to accomplish in the MLS is winning the MLS Cup then that okay. It might be the most important prize but sometimes, like right now, other things mean more.

There might not be a specific reason the Red Bulls retired the number 99 while he is still very much an active player but one of them is because he means a lot to the league and is what a star in this league should look and act like.

It is important to know how legendary he was once he retired, but by retiring his number while he is still active, won’t let anybody take for granted how important and good he is now.

Next. The Impact of Tyler Adams leaving. dark

Congrats, BWP, it might not be any of the attention that you want, but you deserve every second of this. For the standards, you set a Red Bulls player and an MLS star. You are unique in so many different ways. There will never be another 99 literally and symbolically.

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