Haji Wright has chance to find himself as starting striker

Schalke might have given up on him too early (though I don't think they anticipated their drop to wherever they are now and Haji is not really Bundesliga level even at 27). They certainly didn't give him a ton of time.

But he was pretty terrible in those auditions at the Bundesliga level. A LOT of mental mistakes and muffed chances and by then he had earned a reputation of being a bit of a head case.

I imagine the switch that flipped was mental, and perhaps he even needed to be humbled a bit to get it.

Wright has been my #3 for a while. Unlike Sargent, he does have a way to create goals internationally, though it's pretty much mostly just one way. It's a good one.

I think he might actually be our best finisher aside from Pepi on a % basis, but I also think that we shouldn't expect him to do what he did against Australia regularly. I don't know the xG there, but I imagine both shots combined were below .5 and he's not *that* good a finisher.

He doesn't do all that much else all that well, and it shows, so if Pepi is healthy and playing well, it's hard for me to see him leapfrog unless he's really taken some kind of finishing leap.

 

I remember him playing in LA and his game was very simple/direct, he was a straight-line forward. He hardly had an inside move. I'm glad he improved his game.

 

22 goals 4 assists in 29 starts at striker in the C'ship
7 goals 1 assist in 8 games worth of minutes with the National Team

It's impressive that he has improved his strike rate at each stop, even as the level of difficulty has increased.

Haji could work his way into the #1 spot.

 

He could......................

If somebody like Sargent scores a goal in the next window, the board will change its mind again.

Right now I have Balogun, Pepi, and Wright on the roster.

Balogun and Pepi haven't exactly been beacons of health.

This whole thing might come down to who's healthy and in-form next spring.

 

this, and that’s where health is key. Haji has the luxury of being able to okay out wide but I see him as an out and out 9

desperately hoping for Hoppinho to try and replicate it.

 

Just crazy how he's a far better player than he was four years ago. I'm pretty sure he got more playing time last time due to Sargent's injuries whereas he's 3rd choice up top but hope he makes the most of it.

 

Haji can also play left wing or 2-forwards formation.

 

it’s guys like him and Seb Berhalter that make following this sport so maddening. 95% of field players don’t improve that much at their ages…but 5% do.

If you could reliably pick out that 5% you’d be the most valuable person in the sport.

 

Wright is more understandable as bigs bloom later. SB is kind of a unicorn improving in midfield later. Maybe he's like Beckerman and Roldan that were played higher up but weren't skilled enough and look better deeper?

 

Wright washing out of the B1 then slowly building his came back up in Denmark, Turkey, then C'ship, on to the Prem is amazing.

Before moving to his current position role in Vancouver's 4231, Berhalter came to prominence playing an 8 in their 4123.

And unlike Agyemang, for example, both Berhalter and Wright had had access to elite development opportunities.

 

I would think any player whose father is / was a WC coach has elite development but also access to key thinking and insight from their dad for years. That is why being a coaches son is a thing. All these interviews with the three ex US WC coaches is info coaches kids hear from birth.

 

Exactly, which makes Berhalter's transformation from a bench warmer into an MVP-level baller all the more amazing.

 

Donovan, Dempsey, and McBride still stand alone as the only US players to score at multiple World Cups.

Haji Wright will get his chance to join this trio along with Pulisic and Weah.

 

Dempsey is the only American to score at 3 World Cups.

 

You mean the only player? bada bing!

 

You hussy!

 

Pretty astonishing though not many countries have players who've equaled that. David Villa is one of the few that quickly jumps to mind.

 

11 out of 200-plus member associations of FIFA.

 

He didn't get a single minute in either pre-tournament friendly. Off the top of my head, he is the only player besides the injured Chris Richards to not play a single minute. Even Chris Brady and Alex Zendejas have seen the pitch.

He's a different profile striker than the other two, so maybe Poch will consider using him situationally, but it doesn't look good for him.

 

its the world cup there are no participation trophies or 'every boy must get atleast 20 minutes in each match' rule.

there are 3/4 guys that played in both matches that aren't going to get 20 minutes total in the world cup.

 

Yup.

Wright is 3rd string forward.

If Balogun is our starter, and usage suggests that he is.............................then Pepi REALLY has helped his case as the forward off the bench. He was fantastic against Senegal.

Our third string forward in 2022 was Ferreira. He played the round of 16 game. Partly because the other two center forwards did NOTHING with their opportunities in the group phase against Wales, England, and Iran. Sargent also got an ankle knock.

So you never know. Wright might not play or he might play a critical role.

But what we do know is that the point here isn't to make sure every guy plays. That's not how this works.

 

We are significantly stronger at forward compared to 2022. This means the third string guy is unlikely to matter much. In thinking about how this team has changed since 2022, the position that has evolved the most is forward. And it is a very positive evolution. We had no one like Balogun and Pepi four years ago.