Haji Wright is now tied for eighth in Turkey's Super Lig Golden Boot race, three behind the leaders with two matches left. #usmnt— Steven Goff (@SoccerInsider) May 9, 2022 Note the goal was a PK.
📸⚽👊 H A J I W R I G H T#FraportTAVAntalyaspor pic.twitter.com/rIb7V419xU— Bitexen Antalyaspor (@Antalyaspor) May 9, 2022
The goal: Haji converts a penalty to make it SIX STRAIGHT matches with a goal, giving Antalyaspor the 3-2 win the process.Dude's on fire.https://t.co/0TgBMRtoSV— Yanks Abroad (@usmnt_abroad) May 9, 2022
"Lobby to take pk's so prospective clubs think your scoring rate is even better than it actually is" - Jurgen Klinsmann to Bobby Wood It was good advice. Perception is reality. Bobby got a contract from Hamburg that was apparently so favorable that he insisted sitting on their bench for years as opposed to moving.
5 out of 22 of Siebatcheu's league goals have been through PKs. That is 22.7% of his goals. 3 out of 13 of Wright's league goals have been through PKs. That is 23.1% of his goals. They're basically identical, but for some reason people make a big deal of it with Wright, not with Pefok.
AFAIK, I was the 1st person to bring that up for Wright, and I've done the same for Pefok. They're just caveats. Production is still good, just not great as it seems.
And then he can also learn to be as good on them as the alternatives to be awarded those opportunities. He's been literally hit or miss. I know Wright got duties back for the Ant-men after a teammate missed. Maybe CP would get them too for as low-level of a club, but he plays for Chelsea.
In terms of him being “hit or miss” that’s not actually true on pens, right? He’s never taken a penalty for Chelsea AFAIK. I think he’s 5/5 for the USMNT. Now I don’t actually think he’s an elite-level pen taker, to be clear, nor am I arguing that he *should* take them for Chelsea. But at least he’s knocked them in emphatically for us. Anyway, good for Haji that he gets to take them for his club. I put zero stock into that and am hopeful that the other parts of his game have come together to round out the large frame, and soft feet he’s shown consistently. He’s certainly earned the right for us to take a look given what he’s shown in the extended highlights I’ve seen, considering the alternatives.
I suppose we are desperate for a savior. P.S. Haji is much faster than Pefok. That is something you can't teach.
Kinda reminds me of 2010 when you had an in-form Edson Buddle and Hercules Gomez getting their shots with the NT.
Yeah, Herc was the scoring co-champion with Chicarrito for that MX season. Was Edson Buddle playing Bundi #2?
Yeah in the Clausura, Gomez, Chicharito, and Johan Fano tied with 10 goals each. Edson Buddle scored 17 goals for the LA Galaxy that summer (9 of them before the WC). He moved to Ingolstadt after.
No idea if this is true but interesting nonetheless: Since Last Season , Haji Wright has received interest from both, the Liberian 🇱🇷 & Ghanaian 🇬🇭 national teams for a possible call up but his desire is to earn a #USMNT 🇺🇸 call up. pic.twitter.com/A0SQrOcsYO— Edgar Moreno 🇺🇸🇲🇽 (@ConcacafEdgar) May 10, 2022
He has also been in the program for years. By all appearances he’s trying to take his shot to rep the US in the World Cup. Great for him. I hope he does well.
No better way to get clicks to your site from the hardcore. IE - mentally and emotionally unstable individuals.
No, they just realize that converting a PK isn't a walk in the park. You have the initiative, but that's about it, and not everyone can tune out the noise, both literal and figurative, that comes from having the eyes of the entire stadium on you. And you're no hero if you do convert - that's what you're supposed to do - but a huge zero if you don't.