HARRISON, N.J. – Red Bulls third-year homegrown winger Derrick Etienne Jr. was in a dark place only a couple of months ago. Getting on the field sporadically, the only consistency in his young professional life was the regret he routinely felt after failing to capitalize during limited game action.
When the calendar turned to August, the spotlight shined on a player that Etienne Jr. describes as an older brother: Bradley Wright-Phillips. The English forward had gone from trialist to club legend in a five-year span, becoming the fastest player in MLS history to 100 career regular season goals.