Yahoo! Sports on Haji Wright: One-time phenom has chance to find himself as USMNT's starting World Cup striker
I sort of wish Pepi had been relegated so that he could get more service (their midfield is just AWFUL, but less awful by BL2 standards). I fear that Gregg he is Gregg’s presumptive fave (the new Zardes), and the level of performance required to dislodge him will be very high. So it’d be easier/better if Pepi could just get his mojo back before Nov.
The last I checked, it was permitted for USMNT players to have their own dedicated threads. I searched to see if Haji already had one but didn't find anything. However, if I missed one then please point it out so this one can be merged.
This is the one position on the pitch where a guy could still conceivably come out of nowhere and end up being our first-choice starter in November, so yes. He's got a big opportunity over the next two weeks.
Just busting your chops a bit. But Wright is not a USMNT player. He has zero caps. We'll see if that changes this month.
Good story, I had forgotten Dortmund first identified Pulisic at a game they had come to scout Wright.
🗣 | InterviewsAhead of the international friendly match vs Morocco, Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie are excited to be reunited with their former youth international teammate, Haji Wright. #USMNT pic.twitter.com/dgp63mPK9h— USMNT Otaku 🇺🇸 (@USMNTOtaku) June 1, 2022
Great article - thanks for sharing, @Scotty. I remember being cautiously very excited about Haji Wright in his U-17 days when he was in LA Galaxy's youth academy. He had a bit of a wandering path for awhile after that -- I was perplexed at the time by his move to the New York Cosmos, but he was in an awkward spot waiting to turn 18 so he could move to Europe. Those two seasons at Saundhausen in the BL2 and VVV-Venlo in the Eredivisie were rough -- really poor production but the article sheds some light on his struggles. And it's great to see him come out from that experience and find his groove, first in Denmark and now in Turkey. I think it's real evidence that strikers thrive on confidence, and sometimes it's OK to drop down a level in order to find your form, start banging in goals, build confidence, and then move back up. Josh Sargent could learn from that path. Scotty has been on BigSoccer since 1999 and a great contributor here, and it's totally fair game to create a thread on this sub-forum to discuss a specific player in the pool.
Not a bad comparison. From the highlights I've seen of Haji, he tends to drift wide and then face goal and attack with the ball at his feet from wide positions, which is similar to how Jozy played early in his career. One of Jozy's most underrated skill sets was his link-up play and short passing. Do we know how Wright's skill set there compares?
Does Wright get injured all the time? Does Wright disappear for long stretches of matches? Or are you saying he only reminds you of the good parts of Altidore?
Haji cool from the spot 🎯 pic.twitter.com/Wd6ckIfLmM— U.S. Soccer Men's National Team (@USMNT) June 2, 2022
Not so good that he seized the job. But he made some nice runs that opened the field, including to start the PK sequence.
His body frame, his movement to the outside and then turning in, his holdup play all remind me of a young Jozy.
Seriously though what a photo this is Haji Wright scoring was genuinely lovely moment. He came through with so many of these boys. After the agony he has been through, you can tell exactly what watching him score means to all of them 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/oCjy8prRpD— roger bennett (@rogbennett) June 2, 2022 It’s super clear how much his teammates want him to succeed.
Another decent photo we aim for wholesome content on this app pic.twitter.com/JjyUU0bDpJ— U.S. Soccer Men's National Team (@USMNT) June 2, 2022
For a guy that hasn’t played with some of these guys for ~6 years and others never, he showed a lot of chemistry.
Want to see more. Had some nice touches, loved the little flick at midfield that got the crowd excited. Concern: He looked like he was kind of lumbering in his gait, not necessarily quick or fast. He's a big guy so it's understandable, but I guess I'd like to see him be a little faster in his next game. He already looks a better option than Pefok to me but I never saw it with Pefok so there's that.
I think we’ll see Trusty and Vazquez next cycle as well. The 2019 team also had Busio, Pepi, Scally, and Bello. Interestingly both teams finished last in their group during the U17 World Cup.