The U.S. men’s national team still has questions across the roster, but Haji Wright is putting himself in a position to solve the striker issue as the October international window beckons.
Wright scored his ninth goal in all competitions for Coventry City on Saturday, as they dominated Sheffield Wednesday with a 5–0 win to bring them to the top of the EFL Championship table. His goal came in first-half stoppage time, netting his eighth goal in the Championship and 40th with the club since signing in 2023.
The 27-year-old is among the names fighting for the starting striker job as the USMNT continue to prepare for the 2026 FIFA World Cup on home soil. Wright was called up by head coach Mauricio Pochettino for October friendlies against Ecuador and Australia alongside Patrick Agyemang and Folarin Balogun.
Haji Wright makes it 8️⃣ goals in 9️⃣ Championship games this season 💥 pic.twitter.com/JVDO2Z1ekJ
— Golazo America (@GolazoAmerica) October 4, 2025
Wright in Top Form Ahead of USMNT Friendlies
Wright has now scored in seven of his last nine matches. His goals come at the perfect time as well, as he finds himself in stellar form ahead of the October camp.
“We couldn’t ask for much more from the week with three clean sheets and a lot of goals, Coventry manager Frank Lampard said after the match. “We worked hard and we’ve had a good start now up to this point, and it's important we keep our feet on the ground, enjoy the moment, because it’s been a good week and rest up and try and continue with this form.”
Wright has not featured for the USMNT since June 16 in the Gold Cup, a 5–0 win over Trinidad and Tobago in which he scored. An Achilles injury kept him out of the rest of the tournament as the U.S. went on to finish runners-up. He was not selected in September as the USMNT fell to South Korea and beat Japan in international friendlies.
“I hope he does [start], and how passionate he is about doing that and representing his country at the World Cup and what that would mean to him. He’s very honest about that, as he should be,” Lampard told Sports Illustrated in September.
Haij Wright Stats: 2025–26
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Haij Wright Makes Latest Claim for USMNT Starting Job Ahead of October Friendlies.
