Haji Wright a shock inclusion in USMNT World Cup squad
A surprise inclusion in Gregg Berhalter’s USMNT World Cup squad was that of Antalyaspor forward Haji Wright. Many expected Jordan Pefok or Ricardo Pepi but Berhalter went with Wright.
The inclusion of Wright sparked a lot of debate in the US Soccer world. Alexi Lalas, speaking on Fox Sports, said, “Are you kidding me?! Are you kidding me?! Haji Wright! See, this is the one that gets me p***ed off. I do not understand how Haji Wright is going to the World Cup over Pepi, over Pefok.”
Has Berhalter made the ‘Wright’ choice?
Wright has just three caps for the USMNT, which is less than Pefok and Pepi. All of his caps have come this year, and he got on the scoresheet against Morocco in a friendly victory which ended 3-0.
He does have a very good record in the Süper Lig for Antalyaspor this season, scoring nine goals and making one assist in just 12 appearances for the Turkish side. He is predominantly a centre-forward, but can also operate as a left or right-winger.
Should Berhalter have gone with Pefok instead?
Pefok has more caps than Wright (nine) but has scored the same amount of goals. His only goal came when he scored the winner against Honduras in the CONCACAF Nations League. Pefok’s diving header came in the 89th minute, which showed how he can produce for his county when it matters in a competitive game.
His club form has not been as prolific as Wright’s, but he is playing in one of Europe’s top five leagues. For Union Berlin in the Bundesliga, he has scored three and assisted three in 13 appearances. Pefok, at 6’3, is more of a target man than Wright or Pepi.
Or should the manager have selected Pepi?
Pepi has more goals than both Wright and Pefok on the national stage, with three in 12 appearances. In the World Cup qualification for Qatar, he scored once against Honduras and twice against Canada. He also has three assists for his county – two came in the Honduras match and one came against Jamaica.
For his club Groningen this season he has scored five and assisted two in just eight games. He is also versatile and can play through the middle as well as on the left or right.
Who are the other strikers in the squad apart from Haji Wright?
The other forwards in Berhalter’s squad are Jesús Ferreira and Josh Sargent, who are likely to be ahead of Wright in the pecking order for a starting place.
Ferreira has played 15 times for the USMNT with seven goals. This season for FC Dallas he scored 18 goals with six assists in 33 MLS games.
Sargent has also been prolific for Norwich City in the Championship this season, with eight goals and two assists in 18 matches.
It will be interesting to see who Berhalter goes with for the US’s first game against Wales on Monday 21st November. It is a tough group with England and Iran also to face and only time will tell if Berhalter has made the right selections.
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