Player: Haji Wright
Age: 24
Place of birth: Los Angeles, CA
Club: Antalyaspor
Position: Striker
Team role: Reserved
USMNT caps: 3
The 24-year-old striker is friends with Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie. The three of them played together at the 2015 Under-17 World Cup and reunited in the summer when Wright was called up USMNT camp. They will now play together with the full team at the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
Wright, who scored the winning goal in his first game against Morocco on June 1, may not be well known to US Soccer fans but has a long history of playing for various clubs abroad. He had a breakthrough season in 2021-22 as he ranks among the Super Lig’s top scorers at Turkish club Antalyaspor – he scored 15 goals in 35 matches, including consisting of seven consecutive games in April and May. That’s when he caught Berhalter’s attention.
“It was the duo back in the day, me and Haji,” a Pulisic oracle said in May before a USMNT friendly. “We’ve played a lot of games together in the national youth teams. And it’s great to have him back, first of all, to see him play so well at club level, and to have him. It’s great to be here. So he’s going to have a chance and yeah, I’m just excited for him.”
Laken Litman covers college football, college basketball, and soccer for FOX Sports. She has previously written for Sports Illustrated, USA Today and The Indianapolis Star. She is the author of “Strong Like a Woman,” which was published in the spring of 2022 to mark Title IX’s 50th anniversary. Follow her on Twitter @LakenLitman.
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