'It's coming home!' - Former New York Red Bull striker Bradley Wright-Phillips on England's World Cup chances, legends row induction, and why Inter Miami will figure it out

GOAL: I suppose this should start with congratulations. How does it feel to be put on the Red Bulls' legends row?

WRIGHT PHILLIPS: It was a nice feeling. I wasn't really looking forward to the whole day. I'm not trying to be humble, it's just not my style. I don't like those things. I don't get too much credit. I don't like too much attention. I was worried about that day, but I'm just thinking everything is going to be about me, and I don't deal well in those situations. I did have the distraction of my kids with it. I'm not just focusing on what's happening to me. I'm with them. They're taking it in. They had an amazing time. They brought their friends, some of my neighbors, my kids, like teammates, best friends from school. They're all there. So it was really nice. It was really nice. I had a good time.

GOAL: You don't seem like you take much time to reflect or reminisce. Did you allow yourself a little bit?

WRIGHT-PHILLIPS: I think the one moment that hit me is when they lifted up the banner, and my name was on there. I'm just a guy from South London all the way in, like, New York, New Jersey. When I saw my name on the stadium here, when that got lifted up, I was like, 'wow, that's like, forever,' you know? So that was kind of cool to see. I'm not really emotional, but that's just who I am as a person. I just don't ever get too high or too low. I know that's kind of boring!

GOAL: There's something to be said for that, though. You don't think about these things, and then they're just right in front of you...

WRIGHT-PHILLIPS: Yeah, and I had to give a speech, too.

GOAL: How'd it go?

WRIGHT-PHILLIPS: You know why I liked the speech? Because I didn't have time to prepare one. I didn't know I was gonna be doing one. So I was literally thinking about a few things in my head the night before, just how I felt about it, what it means to me, because I had a press conference before. For me, it was just about, like, inspiring. So I just went with that, and I felt like it was true to me.

GOAL: We have to talk about Inter Miami. New manager in Guillermo Hoyos, Javier Mascherano's gone, what's going on there?

WRIGHT-PHILLIPS: It's almost like they've lost their weight. Does that make sense? Mascherano has left, but it's not just him. They have big players in Busquets and Alba gone.

I mean, these are not players and personnel that you can really replace, and then moving into a new stadium, it seemed like there's a bit of unrest there.

GOAL: Who would you appoint as the new manager?

WRIGHT-PHILLIPS: I'm not saying a name, but what I would say, it's got to be a person that, and it's probably going to sound obvious, Messi respects.

I just feel like he obviously has a lot of power on that side. If you can get him to buy in, which I'm not saying he never did, maybe at PSG, but it needs to be a thing where they have the right players around him, and that coach is not fearful of Messi, so he can make changes in the side. He can play how he actually wants to play.

“And then I think you see, with the talent and ability they have, they'll be back on track

GOAL: Nashville are up there this season. Is that always something we expect? Were they always going to be in the running for you?

WRIGHT-PHILLIPS: When BJ Callaghan got in, they started playing some good football. They looked really good. So I'm not surprised by the football they're playing. I am surprised by the consistency and the depth. There's been a lot of times when Nashville have had to rotate their side because of the CONCACAF Champions Cup. And I swear they haven't missed a beat.

Sometimes Sam Surridge isn't playing, and they still get a win. They're bringing off guys off the bench. They had one of the low-key best signings of the season in Cristian Espinosa from San Jose. For years, he's been one of the top players in Major League Soccer, but he doesn't get the credit he deserves because he was playing for San Jose, and they weren't doing well. So you just kind of almost forget about him, but them signing him, with Hany Mukhtar already there. It's very dangerous. They're a good team with depth. They can go all the way.

GOAL: Sam Surridge only seems to care about scoring goals...

WRIGHT-PHILLIPS: But that's why he's doing so well. Not to make this bit about me, but I think in England, we have a standard as a goal scorer. You're brought up just because of the competition; if you're a No. 9, you have to get one goal in two games. I think we come here with that mentality. And I don't think, and I don't want to speak for every American striker, I just don't think, especially in my time, I don't think that was a thing. There were a few.

There was like Chris Wondolowski, Dom Dwyer, but he was English. He had that in him. But the first person I thought I was competing with that really, like, had me thinking, 'Okay, like he gets it' was, was Josef Martinez. And Sam Surridge, I'm seeing that in him.

GOAL: Does anyone else have that hunger?

WRIGHT-PHILLIPS: Petar Musa has that right now. He reminds me of a Berbatov-type player. Very tall, soft touch, can link with his teammates. Gets his goals. He's really good.

GOAL: We've got Griezmann coming to MLS from Atletico Madrid. What do you make of that move?

WRIGHT-PHILLIPS: I like it. I'm a big fan of him. When DPs come in, you can't just come here with talent. He's different. He's personally, from what you see on social media, when he does interviews, he seems like he'll be good around the locker room.

I remember David Villa was one of those guys. David came with, like a humbleness, but like a work rate, to where he didn't leave his teammates. And I think Griezmann will be similar in that way. And they need a player like him. I think they're just maybe turning the corner. They got a good result against Miami. So if you bring him into an environment that's starting to, like, turn the corner, he'll be a good fit.

GOAL: It's funny how much he loves America, too...

WRIGHT PHILLIPS: If I was Orlando, I'd like that. This is a guy that's already, like, invested in the country, and invested in the sport here. You're halfway there!

GOAL: All right, San Jose, top of the West, did you see it coming?

WRIGHT-PHILLIPS: No, honestly, I didn't. And credit to them. Last season was the one where you figure they're gonna outscore teams because they had some firepower: Josef Martinez, Chicho Arango, random ballers that they had.

“But there was no balance. We're gonna score five and then concede five.

“Bruce Arena got rid of those guys and got more structure in the team. They're hard to beat. They got some bright young players like Niko Tsakiris, Preston Judd. He's almost like a mini Wondolowski.

“The only question I have for them is the depth. Everybody loves talking about Nashville. I know they can go to the bench and be good. San Jose are used to be tested in that way, but they're really good to watch.

GOAL: Bruce Arena has always had success. Is it as simple as a good manager makes it happen, or not that straightforward?

WRIGHT-PHILLIPS: You have to give him his credit. A lot of old school managers who are struggling to survive in this new kind of era, where the way the game's coached, the way the game's played (has changed), and Bruce Arena's adapted. His team is playing a nice style of football. He can speak for himself. He did it with New England a few years ago. Everybody wrote them off. But they played some lovely football. They won the Supporters' Shield. And I think he's doing a similar job there.

GOAL: Who else do you rate in the West?

WRIGHT-PHILLIPS: I'm a big Vancouver fan. I just like what they're doing. Jesper Sorensen seems like a good coach. He's got some nice pieces in there. With Brian White, you've got your goalscorer. You've got your experience, and an amazing player in Thomas Muller. Ryan Gauld hasn't even been playing, and this is one of MLS's best players. He's almost in that Espinosa category where he gets underrated because of the team he's at. I can't wait for him to get back fit. Defensively, good. They're another team that has depth. No matter what they play, if they have injuries, they still get it done. So I'm a big fan of Vancouver.

But also, you have to always shout out Seattle every year. We kind of forget about them. I promise you, end of the season, they'll be in the playoffs, and then they will beat one of the teams that we're all hyping about.

GOAL: So, some World Cup predictions...

WRIGHT-PHILLIPS: It's coming home!

GOAL: Really, genuinely?

WRIGHT-PHILLIPS: The only team I'm scared of a little bit is France. I saw a few weeks ago when they were in that international friendly period, their second team, they arrested a bunch of the stars, and it was frightening, the names in that second team. But [England] have the talent. We have the talent, we've got a new coach. We can get to the semis, I wouldn't say easy, because it's the World Cup, but we can get ourselves there and hopefully Tuchel can work some magic, and we can get over the line.

GOAL: And what about the USMNT? What are you thinking?

WRIGHT-PHILLIPS: I just wouldn't look too much into the results of a friendly. If they won those two friendlies, are we saying they are going to win the World Cup, or be in the semis? I don't think those friendlies matter as much. I think Pochettino is still working out combinations, partnerships, who the nine is going to be? I think he's still looking at those things. I think they have a duty to perform well in this World Cup. They really do. They're on home soil. We've got a lot of players that we talk about now around the world that are doing a good job domestically. So why not on home soil? Go and push for it. I think they should be looking at least the quarterfinals. If they got to the quarterfinals and lost, like, respectfully, to a big nation, job done.

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