Haji Amir Wright (born March 27, 1998) is an American professional soccer player who plays for Süper Lig club Antalyaspor and the United States national team.
_(cropped)_(cropped).jpg) Wright with Antalyaspor in 2021 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Haji Amir Wright[1] | ||
| Date of birth | March 27, 1998 | ||
| Place of birth | Los Angeles, California, United States | ||
| Height | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward, winger | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Antalyaspor | ||
| Number | 9 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2012–2015 | LA Galaxy | ||
| 2016–2017 | Schalke 04 | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2015 | New York Cosmos | 3 | (0) |
| 2015 | New York Cosmos B | 4 | (5) |
| 2017–2019 | Schalke 04 II | 22 | (14) |
| 2017–2019 | Schalke 04 | 7 | (1) |
| 2017–2018 | → SV Sandhausen (loan) | 15 | (1) |
| 2019–2020 | VVV-Venlo | 22 | (0) |
| 2020–2022 | SønderjyskE | 29 | (11) |
| 2021–2022 | → Antalyaspor (loan) | 32 | (14) |
| 2022– | Antalyaspor | 8 | (5) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2013 | United States U15 | 10 | (2) |
| 2013–2015 | United States U17 | 34 | (27) |
| 2014–2015 | United States U18 | 5 | (2) |
| 2016 | United States U19 | 2 | (0) |
| 2019 | United States U23 | 2 | (0) |
| 2022– | United States | 3 | (1) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of October 8, 2022 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of June 14, 2022 | |||
Youth soccerEdit
Known for his finishing, ability to win headers, and quickness,[2] Wright had been dubbed by many media outlets as one of the top prospects in the United States youth system.[3][4] His success with the under-17 national team prompted him to train with Schalke 04's academy.[5]
Professional careerEdit
New York CosmosEdit
In March 2015, Wright officially signed with NASL club New York Cosmos for an undisclosed fee and contract length.[6] Wright's contract expired following the season, and he did not re-sign.[7] During his time at Cosmos, Wright featured in 3 league games, playing a total of 80 minutes. He made his debut versus Indy Eleven on July 26, 2015.[8]
Schalke 04Edit
In April 2016, Wright signed with Schalke 04.[9] In his debut with the Schalke under-19 team on April 16, Wright scored a brace against Borussia Mönchengladbach U19.
Wright was promoted to the Schalke first team in May 2017.[10] He was named on the bench against FC Ingolstadt 04 on May 20, 2017.[11] In July 2018, Wright underwent a trial period with 2. Bundesliga club Union Berlin.[12] On November 24, 2018, Wright made his debut for Schalke first team when he replaced Steven Skrzybski in the 88th minute of the 5–2 win against 1. FC Nürnberg.[13]
VVV-VenloEdit
In July 2019, Wright joined VVV-Venlo on a free transfer.[14]
SønderjyskEEdit
In August 2020, Wright joined SønderjyskE on a free transfer.[15] He got off to a strong start in the league, with 6 goals in 8 appearances by early November, and his performances led to him being named as the Danish Superliga Player of the Month for October 2020.[16]In July 2021, Wright wanted to move on from SønderjyskE and failed to report back for pre-season training.[17] On July 21, 2021, Turkish club Antalyaspor confirmed that they had signed Wright on loan from SønderjyskE with an option to buy.[18] However, later on the same day, SønderjyskE went out and denied that the deal had gone through because they hadn't yet received any payment.[19] However, a few days later, on July 28, 2021, SønderjyskE confirmed that he had been loaned out to Antalyaspor for the 2021–22 season and also signed a new deal with Sønderjyske until June 2024.[20]
AntalyasporEdit
On July 19, 2022, Wright signed a three-year deal with Antalyaspor.[21]
International careerEdit
Wright is of Liberian and Ghanaian descent. He has represented the United States at all youth levels.[22] In May 2022, Wright was called into the United States senior camp by Gregg Berhalter for a CONCACAF Nation's League window.[23]
Wright scored his first international goal on his senior debut for the United States on June 1, 2022, in a 3–0 friendly victory against Morocco.[24]
Personal lifeEdit
Haji's brother Hanif plays on the under-19 team of Bonner SC.[25] Haji's cousins are also active in athletics: Joseph Putu played cornerback for the Florida Gators,[26] his second cousin, Isaac Nana Addai, played for the Liberia national under-23 football team as well as Boston City FC, and his third cousin, Joseph Addai, won Super Bowl XLI in 2007 with the Indianapolis Colts.[27]
Career statisticsEdit
ClubEdit
- As of match played October 8, 2022[28]
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Europe | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| New York Cosmos | 2015 | NASL | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 4 | 0 | |
| Schalke 04 | 2016–17 | Bundesliga | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018–19 | Bundesliga | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | |
| Total | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | ||
| SV Sandhausen (loan) | 2017–18 | 2. Bundesliga | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | 15 | 1 | |
| VVV-Venlo | 2019–20 | Eredivisie | 22 | 0 | 1 | 1 | – | 23 | 1 | |
| SønderjyskE | 2020–21 | Danish Superliga | 29 | 11 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 37 | 13 |
| 2021–22 | Danish Superliga | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 29 | 11 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 37 | 13 | ||
| Antalyaspor (loan) | 2021–22 | Süper Lig | 32 | 14 | 3 | 1 | – | 35 | 15 | |
| Antalyaspor | 2022–23 | Süper Lig | 8 | 5 | 0 | 0 | – | 8 | 5 | |
| Career total | 116 | 32 | 12 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 129 | 36 | ||
InternationalEdit
- As of match played June 14, 2022[29]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 2022 | 3 | 1 |
| Total | 3 | 1 | |
- Scores and results list the United States' goal tally first.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | June 1, 2022 | TQL Stadium, Cincinnati, United States |  Morocco |
3–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
HonorsEdit
New York Cosmos
Individual
ReferencesEdit
- ^ "FRAPORT TAV ANTALYASPOR - Club Details TFF".
- ^ "LA Galaxy's Haji Wright leads list of 7 MLS Academy players called to US U-17 national team". MLS Soccer. MLSSoccer.com. April 1, 2014. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
- ^ Davis, Noah (February 4, 2015). "Haji Wright and the Next Big Thing: Should the USMNT Be Getting More From Its Under-17 Team?". Grantland. Grantland.com. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
- ^ "The Wright stuff for USA?". FIFA. FIFA.com. February 27, 2015. Archived from the original on March 2, 2015. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
- ^ Parchman, Will. "Haji Wright on the precipice of Europe". Top Drawer Soccer. TopDrawerSoccer.com. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
- ^ "Cosmos Sign Striker Haji Wright". New York Cosmos. NYCosmos.com.
- ^ "Cosmos Announce First Roster Moves Following Championship 2015 Season".
- ^ Haji Wright at Soccerway
- ^ "Spielberechtigung für Haji Wright ist da" (in German). schalke04.de. April 16, 2016.
- ^ "Schalke promote American duo McKennie and Wright to senior squad". bundesliga.com – the official Bundesliga website.
- ^ "Ingolstadt vs. Schalke 04 – 20 May 2017 – Soccerway". uk.soccerway.com.
- ^ "Haji Wright trains with Union first-team". 1. FC Union Berlin. July 10, 2018. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
- ^ "Schalke 04 vs. Nürnberg 5 - 2". Soccerway. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
- ^ "Haji Wright joins VVV Venlo". Schalke 04. July 12, 2019.
- ^ Henry jr., Larry (August 2, 2020). "Haji Wright joins Danish Superliga side Sonderjyske". SBI Soccer. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
- ^ a b "Haji Wright er Månedens Spiller i oktober". Superligaen (in Danish). November 9, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
- ^ "SE-direktør om Wright: Går imod trup og stab". bold.dk. July 20, 2021.
- ^ Bekræftet: Tyrkisk klub lejer SE's Haji Wright, bold.dk, 21 July 2021
- ^ SE er uenig: Wright-handel er ikke på plads, bold.dk, 21 July 2021
- ^ SØNDERJYSKE FORLÆNGER OG UDLEJER HAJI WRIGHT, soenderjyske.dk, 28 July 2021
- ^ "Haji Wright transfers to Antalyaspor, gets 3-year deal". July 20, 2022.
- ^ "SønderjyskE Rejects €1.3m Bid From Malmo FF for American-Liberian Haji Wright | Liberia Public Radio". February 21, 2021.
- ^ "Berhalter Calls 27 Players For June Training Camp And Final Home Matches Before 2022 FIFA World Cup". www.ussoccer.com. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
- ^ "United States vs Morocco".
- ^ "and brothers Haji and Hanif Wright". BeIN Sports.
- ^ "Joseph Putu, a war refugee for six years, overcame long odds to reach Florida". SecCountry.com.
- ^ "Addai comes from a very athletic family including his cousin, Joseph Addai, an NFL running back and Super Bowl winner. Haji Wright". Santa Clara Broncos. February 7, 2017.
- ^ "Haji Wright » Club matches". WorldFootball.net.
- ^ Haji Wright at National-Football-Teams.com
- ^ Haji Wright at Soccerway
