Bradley Wright-Phillips scored his 15th goal of the season as the New York Red Bulls continued their sizzling form with a 1-0 victory over the free-falling Chicago Fire on Saturday night at Toyota Park.
Wight-Phillips became the first player in MLS history to hit at least 15 goals in five consecutive seasons as New York won their eighth out of 10. In the process, he helped the Red Bulls into sole possession of second place in the Eastern Conference for at least an evening, three points ahead of New York City FC and one behind Supporters' Shield leaders Atlanta United.
Chicago, meanwhile, have now lost seven straight in a skid that has seriously damaged the Fire's hopes of back-to-back postseason appearances for the first time since qualifying for five straight from 2005 to 2009. They began the day six points beneath the playoff line.
Fire coach Veljko Paunovic held forward Nemanja Nikolic and midfielder Aleksandar Katai out of his starting XI after both players went 90 minutes in Wednesday's 3-0 U.S. Open Cup semifinal defeat at Philadelphia. Nikolic would eventually register Chicago's first shot on goal Saturday as a substitute, forcing Luis Robles into an exceptional save in the 71st minute.
Goals
- 55' - RBNY - Bradley Wright-Phillips
Up Next
- Saturday, Aug. 18 at Vancouver Whitecaps (7 pm ET | TSN - full TV & streaming info)
