Bradley Wright-Phillips notched the first hat trick by an English player in MLS to propel New York to a 4-0 victory over Houston on Wednesday night.
Wright-Phillips opened the scoring inside the opening quarter of an hour with a simple finish from close range after good work by Thierry Henry to reach the byline. He doubled his account after 24 minutes by converting a similar cross from Roy Miller to provide some breathing room.
Houston nearly reduced straight from the halftime kickoff, but Luis Robles produced a fine save to deny Will Bruin after Dax McCarty conceded possession in his own half. The visitors might have deserved a goal or two on the balance, but their wastefulness in front of goal and the defensive frailties on the night ultimately proved their undoing.
Henry capped his stellar display and sealed the points by sweeping home the third shortly after the hour mark. The former French international then won a penalty in the final 10 minutes to provide Wright-Phillips to coolly slot home his third to complete a rousing night for the home side.
