Haji Wright has chance to find himself as starting striker

I keep forgetting Dike because he's basically been totally uninvolved other than brief debut appearances in March, and July of '21. Yes, definitely bring Dike over in '23. So, so, so bummed he got hurt.

Will argue, though, that I think pretty clearly, he wasn't rated any higher than 4th by Berhalter this cycle as of '21. The call ups and playing time suggest as much. I think he came to prefer Ferreira for his system.

Think it was a mistake, as Dike offers something nobody else in the pool offers other than Pefok, and Dike is a much more athletic player than Pefok (from what I can tell, and I like Pefok).

 

I'm glad he's still doing well and I agree that you never know, another coach could have a completely different opinion on many players and may just focus on different needs for a striker if the team plays differently. But, I also agree that a guy with his size needs to learn to be an arial threat and to use his physicality. Each player has a different set of physical attributes and if you're not maxing out what you bring to the table, you're not the player you could be. A guy with the size Haji brings should know how to use it or he's selling himself short. I don't know how accurate the stats I found on him are, but a 6' 3" striker should have more than the 2 headed goals they show for him over the last 4 years. Just getting into the box on corners and free kicks should yield more than that for a big, strong striker. On the other hand, both were shown to come this year so maybe it is something he is finally adding to his game.

 

I'm fine with a call-up; I just think that he needs to improve to actual grab the job when he gets that call up. I'd place him about #6 on my striker chart at this point, I think.

Given our strikers aren't very good, it's not too hard to move up. But I have little confidence the goal scoring translates right now. We'll see.

 

I think Sargent is definitely legit. Not sure what to think of Championship, but that doesn't matter to me, Sargent showed this fall what he could when provided service, and when he got his confidence and strikers mentality back. Throw him on a midtable side in a big 5 league and I bet he'd be just fine. Not a world beater, but definitely getting 8-14 goals, maybe more.

It's all projection, but I've watched him enough to believe his struggles are based on team, and approach and the way it impacted his mentality. No way to really answer the question w/o a transfer to a reasonably decent team, and that probably doesn't happen soon.

Pepi is my #1, Sargent is my #2. Pefok is my supersub (who won't be called), and I have no #3 since we aren't going to be taking any of the guys I'd want, and I wouldn't start Ferreira anymore at this point (too much crossing in our approach to justify starting him as tip of the spear and his finishing sucks at this level in small sample size).

 

Yeah, I don't think Berhalter would have selected Dike. He's the worst on the ball of the group, to the point that it actually costs him shots. His advantage is in barrelling vertical runs and in the air ... and we've not see Berhalter really value that. He doesn't really seem to be built to have the endurance for 90 minutes of running.

That said, he's the dude who probably has the highest likelihood of something clicking for a variety of reasons. And if that happens ... he still won't be a complete player, but he could be a nightmare for defenses.

When we first tried out the false 9 and Ferreira, Berhalter was pretty clear it was a tactical choice -- fully intended to take advantage of using our scoring wingers cutting in behind a CF that pulled a CB out of position.

Somewhere along the way, that seemed to get lost and Ferreira just became a striker who came back a ton? Bringing a false 9 against two bunkering teams actually makes a ton of sense, but I can't really remember the last time Ferreira really played that way -- to do it right, you need a ton of vertical movement for both the CF and the wingers.

I don't mind Ferreira as tactical choice. I really don't see him as regular starter ... not sure Berhalter does, either, though.

 

He had a few chances with the US and got absolutely out-muscled out of position. He always struck me when he was younger as one of those big guys who is afraid of contact / hurting others / finesse focused. He's not as bad now, but it's clear he doesn't love banging.

That must be hard to change because a lot of times it can be learned pretty early.

 

I saw the same thing when he played with Schalke's youth team. A lot of on the ground goals. I just didnt see the aerial game. I don't get it. Then again, Altidore wasn't an aerial threat either. Sometimes they don't seem to be great at that for whatever reason (Altidore did have one of the most important knock down headers of WC '10 though, on Bradley's goal).

I'm reading too much into it wandering if part of it is mentality and personality? Is a severe introvert (and he's supposedly that) going to be the type to crash the box for balls to bang into the corners? Or is that way too much reading into things? Not sure. But certain types of approaches definitely seem to make sense in terms of mentality personality. Like, who else on earth scored Davies weird goal against Egypt at the Confed Cup in '09? Or Dempsey's diving, DGAF goal against Egypt in the same match? Both about physicality, and fearlessness and personality and skill, not just one element, but all...

 

Don't disagree on anything in regardes to Dike, I think you've got it covered, and its not coincidentally why he never seemed to call him in for games that well and truly mattered when he was healthy.

As for Ferreira, as much as Velasquez may not like it, I just can't start a guy who is that profligate in front of the net, particularly when we continue to insist on throwing in so many crosses. He's too short, his aerial game is comically bad, and he hasn't really been able to finish effectively at the international level. Chance creation is great, and I understand the argument, it's why I was open to it, but the June and September windows just built more negativity for me on Ferreira instead of clarifying things. Even against Grenada he screwed up enough finishes to frustrate himself before he finally got it going, and again in September, w/the best chance of the window, he failed to get it done, multiple times. That doesn't breed confidence, and when you have guys like Pepi and Sargent, I don't see the point in using him. Sargent became comically bad too, as he lost confidence with Bremen and Norwich, but even then, he showed with some pretty classic wonder goals, including a freaking scorpion, how clinical he can be when his confidence is strong, and Pepi, even when they aren't going in, they're going on frame, forcing saves and rebounds, making defenses honor the threat.

That's what I want. I have a hard time deciding what I think egg will do, but considering how off Ferreira has been and how on Pepi HAS been, I have a suspicion he's gonna give the keys to Pepi against Wales, particularly considering Wales size on defense. They aren't size challenged guys from Concacaf after all, so having a guy with Pepi's size and aerial game can't hurt (did some digging, looks like they're back line included one short FB, a 6'3" and 6'4" guy, a 6'0" guy, and a 5'11" guy). I just can't see Ferreira getting anywhere against that size of a squad in terms of any aerial game to speak of, but Pepi? Absolutely. Hell, he's scoring headed goals in the land of giants (Netherlands).

 

I've watched far more Championship than I've ever wanted, due to the many, many, many American players stuck playing them along the years.

The defending is tactically naive. The attack is mainly a long ball and guys running. It's not common to have games where the successful passing rate is under 40%.

I have no idea how anyone who follows it can think it's that strong. Weird.

 

They are bigger, stronger, and faster. You can watch Segunda and enjoy little skilled players, or tactically sound slow Serie B, but those leagues aren't close to brute Chamionship. And average player makes around $1.8M there instead of $400K in Eredivisie. So good player from the Dutch league will jump to the Championship instantly. Unless he is with Ajax or have offers from the top leagues.

 

I tend to agree this is likely a bit personality driven and difficult to change. The technical requirements are one thing, but actually getting someone to plow ahead and do it is another. I'm sure Wright can head a ball technically. The combination of big, strong and skillful can be devastating if a player can combine all those attributes. But, any player who ignores their natural gifts is always going to be less than they could have been even if they are still solid players. It would be like a fast player refusing to sprint past a slow defender and preferring to slowly round him with some fancy move instead. I think Wright could still get into the swing of using his physical tools more, but he will need to focus on doing it and he will need to be prodded along the way most likely. And it's kind of hard for a player to motivate to do so when he's already having decent success playing the way he does.

 

Dike just kept getting hurt at inopportune times.

If he was healthy and fit, I have confidence that Berhalter would have given him a shot. I don't know if he'd have made the squad. He's been out of sight/out of mind, so people forget just how good he was in 2021. 10 goals in 18 MLS games for Orlando. 9 goals in 19 games for Barnsley.

Played in the post-Nations League friendly against Costa Rica, and then in 5 of the 6 games at the 2021 Gold Cup.

He got hurt in that event, and basically hasn't been an option since. Had a shoulder injury then a hamstring injury and now a thigh injury.

As far as Wright goes, Berhalter gave him a shot. Didn't seem to impress him. If it weren't for Sargent's resurgence, maybe he'd be in the squad.

 

I’m worried Dike is going to be plying his trade in league one next year at this rate

 

If he returned to health, WBA would just sell him to another club impressed with his first Championship run. They couldn't get an ROI of 10m in League 1. That's as high as some payrolls.

 

Headed goal from a cross. That's three this year after never scoring a header in any previous season. Nice to see his game still growing.

 

Yep, feel like he was affronted by my trashing of his aerial skills.

 

I count 22 goals in 2022 in all competitions for Haji Wright.

 

Dude is cranking em in right now. Turkey is certainly his niche. Pulling Antalyaspor comfortably to mid table too. What a place to ply the soccer trade , especially now that it seeks paychecks are finally reliable there

 

I would bring either Haji or Pefok as a fourth striker. (But I also wouldn’t start JF.) In the even of injuries you can always put Sarge or JF on the wing.

Also, please, please, PLEASE let Reyna start at the 8/10 at least once.

 

Bump

 

Never at the expense of Pepi. But it's berhalter.

 

Pepi better have a heck of an undisclosed injury

 

Well no secret on here I have been really down on Wright since his showing this summer.

But unlike a lot of fans on BS who seem to want the team to fail since "their guys" were left off, since he is on the team I am now his biggest fan around. So Haji go kick some butt.