Still riding high off Coventry City’s promotion to the Premier League under the guidance of Chelsea icon Frank Lampard, the Sky Blues’ forward and U.S. Men’s National Team star Haji Wright has opened up on promotion and the upcoming FIFA World Cup.
The EFL Championship’s second-highest goal scorer this season, with 16 in 37 games to date, Wright was named to the league’s Team of the Season along with teammates Milan van Ewijk and Matt Grimes.
“It's electric,” Wright said of the vibe around Coventry after securing promotion in an interview with CBS Sports Golazo. “I mean, fans have been waiting for this for the last 25 years.
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“So, obviously, a lot of excitement around the city. Everything's been painted sky blue for a while now with this being on the cusp for a while for us. But, yeah, it's amazing to finally get it over the line.”
But while Wright has had to remain focused on the task at hand in England, looming overhead is the prospect of potentially being named to Mauricio Pochettino’s World Cup roster, which would see him play on home soil in the joint U.S./Mexico/Canada-based tournament.
“It's tough to go away, mid-season with the international breaks in September, October, and November,” he said of balancing the domestic season with the upcoming World Cup.
“You kind of just try and take it for what it is. You focus on the club when you're here and then when you go away to the national team, you try and give your best there so that you can give a good profile of yourself and hopefully be chosen for the next camp.”
Looking ahead to the tournament, safe in the knowledge that Coventry’s fate is secured for next season, Wright admitted the World Cup will be “super important for our country and for soccer in our country.”
He added, “The tension is starting to build a bit with it not being so far away. So yeah, I want to be a part of the group. It's no secret. I want to be there, and I want to be able to represent my country and do the best I can.”
Along with Wright, numerous other English-based players will be hoping to make the final roster, including the likes of Fulham’s Antonee Robinson, Crystal Palace’s Chris Richards, AFC Bournemouth’s Tyler Adams, and Middlesbrough's Aidan Morris.
Asked if there was any form of group chat for all the American’s currently playing their trades in the English soccer pyramid, Wright said not, although, “We're good friends, obviously. I have all of their shirts. So I have [Daryl Dike’s] shirt, I have [Patrick Agyemang’s] shirt. I have Aidan’s shirt.
“I'm really good friends with Aidan and so yeah, when we get a chance to see each other, we'll speak after the game. We spoke after the last game in Coventry, but there's no group chat or anything.”
While all of the aforementioned Premier League players are likely to make the final roster, and Morris also seems to have a solid chance given his recent minutes for the USMNT, Agyemang’s hopes came to a brutal end when he suffered an Achilles injury earlier this month. The Derby County star, who had impressed in his first season in England, is set to miss around nine months after undergoing surgery.