<p>It might not be compared to his last season’s FA Cup heroics, but USMNT international Haji Wright once again came to Coventry City’s rescue in the Championship. Unlike <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/usas-brenden-aaronson-off-to-rollercoaster-restart-with-leeds/">Brenden Aaronson’s strike</a> last week, Wright’s 96th-minute goal secured all three points for the Sky Blues against Oxford United.</p>



<p>He had to wait until November to consolidate a starting spot in his debut season in England. Since then, Wright emerged as a key player for the promotion hopefuls. Consequently, Haji Wright is inching toward a bigger move following his success in the Championship.</p>



<h2>Haji Wright works toward Premier League, Champions League dreams</h2>



<p>In an interview with <a href="https://x.com/GolazoAmerica/status/1825528510745641110" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CBS Sports’ Morning Footy crew</a>, Wright addressed the expectations of playing on grand stages. The 26-year-old attacker hit double-digit league goals in the past three seasons.</p>



<p>When asked about his hopes for a major career upgrade, Wright iterated that it’s every player’s dream to play in the Premier League and Champions League. As a goal scorer in the World Cup knockout stage, he already experienced a big stage.</p>



<p>Coventry’s dramatic FA Cup run was another memorable anecdote for the Los Angeles native. In the semi-final against Manchester United, Wright scored a 95th-minute equalizer from the penalty spot as Cardiff City came from three goals behind to force extra time.</p>



<p>Unfortunately for the Championship outfit, he was marginally offside when assisting Victor Torp for what could have been a sensational winner. Mark Robins’ side lost on penalties, but the match went down as one of the best in the modern history of the cup competition.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><figure class="image"><img loading="lazy" width="1200" height="675" src="https://ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https://images.worldsoccertalk.com/webp/full/WST_20240819_WST_523616_Haji-Wright-Championship-1200x675_a7062d96.webp&amp;width=1200&amp;height=675" alt="" class="wp-image-523635" srcset="https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/08/Haji-Wright-Championship-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/08/Haji-Wright-Championship-300x169.jpg 300w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/08/Haji-Wright-Championship-768x432.jpg 768w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/08/Haji-Wright-Championship-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/08/Haji-Wright-Championship.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px"></figure></figure>



<p>It’s the winner in the 10th minute of stoppage time against Wolves that has a special place for Wright, however. He picked the goal that sent Coventry City to the FA Cup semifinal as his favorite. For his part in the club’s best cup run since 1986/87, he quickly became a fan favorite at Coventry Arena.</p>



<h2>Further grounds to cover before a big move?</h2>



<p>The knack for scoring crucial goals is a certainty with Wright. As a substitute, he scored an injury-time brace for USMNT in the Nations League semi-final against Jamaica. But he only saw 10 minutes of action in the recent Copa America. The decision to bring <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/what-teams-did-mauricio-pochettino-coach-previously/">Mauricio Pochettino</a> in place of Gregg Berhalter will motivate the players who lacked minutes under the long-serving coach.</p>



<p>There was also a goal set by Wright and his club teammates ahead of another grueling Championship season. Coventry missed out on a playoff spot last term. Wright believes the club can aim for the automatic places this time around.</p>



<p>Wright also openly discussed his desire to play more assists to his teammates this season. In that respect, he had a solid partnership with the overlapping fullback Milan van Ewijk on Friday.</p>



<p>As opposed to his time as a prolific striker in Turkey, Wright now plays from the left flank. That versatility will also help his cause to join a top-five European club for the first time since 2018/19. Fellow American Josh Sargent is linked with a move to MLS outside of <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/resurgent-josh-sargent-linked-to-brentford-to-replace-toney-20240304-WST-492917.html">interest from Premier League</a>. Meanwhile, Haji Wright only sets his target at the pinnacle of the sport.</p>



<p><em>PHOTOS: IMAGO</em></p>

Haji Wright admits his Premier League dream after another late heroics

Americans will have a particular eye on Coventry City's Haji Wright as the striker seeks Premier League promotion this year.

<p>Coventry City went old-school in deciding a penalty taker by using a quick game of Rock-Paper-Scissors to award a spot kick representative. The two candidates were Callum O’Hare and Haji Wright, a striker representing the United States Men’s National Team. Wright won the penalty, but O’Hare had converted on his only penalty attempt of the season. Also, O’Hare is joint-second on the team in goals while playing out of the midfield. Haji Wright leads <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/teams/coventry-city-tv-schedule-view-sky-blues-games-on-tv/">Coventry City</a> with 11 goals this campaign.</p>



<p>Haji Wright would be the winner of the quick game between the two. He stepped up and comfortably slotted the ball away to pull Coventry level against Millwall. Speaking after the game, Wright discussed the game with O’Hare as Coventry went on to win the game, 2-1.</p>



<p>“So, I won the penalty, and me and Callum had a quick discussion about who was going to take it. We had a game of rock-paper-scissors.” <a href="https://www.ccfc.co.uk/news/2024/february/interview-haji-wright-on-his-brace-and-millwall-fightback/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Wright said</a>. “I know Callum is amazing at taking penalties, he has that little stutter step, and he will probably score 90 percent of the time, but I am confident myself, so I wanted to take it. Luckily, I won the game of rock-paper-scissors. I went for rock! I had a little delay in my throw, but it is what it is.”</p>



<p>Wright went on to add that the competitive nature of both he and O’Hare has been beneficial for Coventry. The <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/championship-tv-schedule/">Championship</a> club is currently sixth in the English second tier, which would be good enough for the Championship playoffs at the end of the campaign. </p>



<p>“We are both hungry players. We want to succeed, we want to show our quality on the pitch, and it was good to score and help the team.”</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<div class="ck-twitter"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Haji Wright played a game of rock paper scissors with his Coventry teammates to determine who would take a penalty 🪨📄✂️<br><br>He won and scored his first of two goals on Sunday <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/usmnt?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#usmnt</a> 🇺🇲<a href="https://t.co/D0e8Bus4Cg">pic.twitter.com/D0e8Bus4Cg</a></p>— World Soccer Talk (@worldsoccertalk) <a href="https://twitter.com/worldsoccertalk/status/1757032918717767999?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 12, 2024</a></blockquote></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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<h2>Rock-Paper-Scissors shows Wright’s successes at Coventry</h2>



<p>Wright’s hunger has been instrumental in Coventry’s current league position. As stated, Wright leads Coventry with 11 goals this season, and his brace against Millwall secured a crucial three points this weekend. After falling behind in the first half, the penalty started Coventry’s comeback. Then, Callum O’Hare set up Haji Wright for the game-winning goal. O’Hare slotted the ball to Haji Wright on the left side. The American went with a low shot to the near post that beat Millwall goalkeeper Matija Šarkić.</p>



<p>It has not been overly smooth sailing for Haji Wright since joining Coventry this season. He opened the campaign with two goals in Coventry’s first 14 games. However, he has started to show more consistency at the front of the line. Four goals in his last five appearances with Coventry have played a massive role in the side shooting up the Championship table. At the 14-game mark, Coventry was 20th in the league table. Now, it is sixth and well in the picture to compete for promotion.</p>



<h2>Success translating to national team appearances?</h2>



<p>Haji Wright finding a rhythm with Coventry could mean more time in Gregg Berhalter’s side. Wright was on the World Cup roster in 2022 when he played for Antalyaspor in the Turkish Super Lig. However, his appearances with the Stars and Stripes are limited, and he only has seven total caps with the national team. That does include a pair of goals, including the only goal against the Netherlands in Qatar.</p>



<p><em>PHOTOS: IMAGO</em>.</p>

EFL club plays Rock-Paper-Scissors to choose penalty taker

Coventry City went old-school in deciding a penalty taker by using a quick game of Rock-Paper-Scissors to award a spot kick representative.


<p>Scottish side Rangers are reportedly ready to sign <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/usmnt-tv-schedule/">United States men’s national team</a> striker Haji Wright. The center forward currently plays for Turkish side Antalyaspor. However, both sides are supposedly close on the final valuation for the player.</p>



<p><em><a href="https://www.footballinsider247.com/rangers-will-pay-7m-for-haji-wright-after-sources-reveal-expert/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Football Insider</a></em> claims that Antalyaspor values Wright at £7 million (about $8.7 million). Rangers are thought to be willing to pay the fee but will negotiate to lower the price just a bit. In fact, former Rangers defender Alan Hutton told the news outlet that the club may negotiate, but will pay the final fee if necessary.</p>



<p>“Of course, they will try and get it as low as possible for players coming<em> </em>in,” <a href="https://www.footballinsider247.com/rangers-will-pay-7m-for-haji-wright-after-sources-reveal-expert/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">claimed</a> Hutton. “As they have shown in the past with the likes of Ryan Kent, if there is someone available that is a proven goalscorer or a match winner who can change things for them, who can tip the balance in their direction, then they will pay that money.“</p>



<h5>Scottish side needs to replace outgoing striker</h5>



<p>The Gers need a new striker to replace outgoing forward Alfredo Morelos. The Colombian scored 11 <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/scottish-premiership-tv-schedule/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Scottish Premiership</a> goals during the 2022/23 season. He is about to be out of contract with the club.</p>



<p>“Rangers have made mistakes with the likes of Morelos and Kent running down their contracts,” continued Hutton. “I can’t see them allowing that to happen again. It is a lot of money, but if it is someone that can make a difference then I am sure they will be willing to pay a little bit extra.“</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<div class="ck-twitter"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">THERE IT IS!<br><br>THE <a href="https://twitter.com/USMNT?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@USMNT</a> TAKES ONE BACK 🔥🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/ZaxPsw2pNU">pic.twitter.com/ZaxPsw2pNU</a></p>— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) <a href="https://twitter.com/FOXSoccer/status/1599079549626621953?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 3, 2022</a></blockquote></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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<h2>Rangers are not the only team tracking Haji Wright</h2>



<p>Wright only just joined the Turkish team last summer in a deal worth around $2.2 million. The USMNT striker netted 16 goals in 28 total matches for Antalyaspor during the current campaign. Despite his successful Freshman season in Turkey, the club appears ready to make a profit on the player. Along with Rangers, Wright has been linked with Villarreal and Southampton in recent weeks as well. </p>



<p>Although he has played well overseas, Wright was not named in the latest <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/balogun-included-in-usmnt-nations-league-roster-20230601-WST-435673.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">USMNT roster</a>. Interim head coach B.J. Callaghan opted not to take Wright to the <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/concacaf-nations-league-schedule/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nations League Finals</a>. The 25-year-old forward has not featured for the Yanks since the World Cup in Qatar.</p>



<p><em>PHOTO: IMAGO / PanoramiC</em></p>


Scottish side Rangers are reportedly ready to sign American striker Haji Wright. The forward has made seven appearances for the USMNT.

ALL POSTS TAGGED "Haji Wright"

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Haji Wright admits his Premier League dream after another late heroics

Coventry City

EFL club plays Rock-Paper-Scissors to choose penalty taker

Leagues: Scottish Premiership

Rangers offer £7 million to sign USMNT forward Haji Wright