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The U.S. men’s national team have four viable strikers on its roster heading into June’s pair of home friendlies vs. Colombia and Brazil, but one of them is set to see more of a wide role in Gregg Berhalter’s plans this summer.
Haji Wright is coming off a sensational first season with Coventry City in the EFL Championship, helping the Sky Blues register a top-half finish. Wright, 26, finished tied with Ellis Simms atop the Coventry City goalscoring charts this past season, netting 19 goals in 50 combined appearances.
His impressive return at Coventry City propelled Wright back into the USMNT squad last March, which marked his first international call-up since the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Despite not starting in the CONCACAF Nations League semifinals against Jamaica, Wright delivered a major impact off the bench by scoring twice against the Reggae Boys.
Wright started in the tournament final against Mexico, helping the Americans repeat as Nations League winners for the third-consecutive edition.
His versatility at Coventry City allowed Sky Blues manager Mark Robins to pair Simms and Wright together in the attacking front and we could very well see more of that from Berhalter with Wright joining Christian Pulisic and Tim Weah in the winger corps this June.
“Currently, we see Haji more fulfilling the winger role,” Berhalter told media Monday in a press conference.
“Specifically, it’s related to how he moves and how he is able to get chances which generally come from wider positions. With us lacking some depth at that position, we think it’s a great option to move him into that position.”
Folarin Balogun, Ricardo Pepi, and Josh Sargent will all fight for the starting No. 9 role this coming month while Wright could also fit into the plans based off his past experiences as a striker in Turkey, Germany, and Denmark.
All four players though will be eager to make Berhalter’s final Copa America roster ahead of the…
Source link : https://sbisoccer.com/2024/05/haji-wright-providing-great-option-for-usmnt-in-winger-role
Author : Larry Henry Jr
Publish date : 2024-05-21 14:24:36
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