Haji Wright leaves USMNT camp with Achilles issue

Haji Wright will play no further part in the U.S. men’s national team’s CONCACAF Gold Cup involvement. 

Wright has left USMNT camp and headed back to his club Coventry City for treatment and rehabilitation, U.S. Soccer announced Saturday. The forward has been sidelined with an Achilles issue, which has forced him out of action.

The 27-year-old did not feature in the USMNT’s 1-0 win over Saudi Arabia on Thursday due to the injury. Wright came off the bench and scored once in a 5-0 victory over Trinidad & Tobago last Sunday. 

In total, Wright played 42 minutes in two appearances during the June window. 

“Always sad to see a player leave, because the group was very good, and he’s a very good guy, and adds very good quality to the group, [a] different option,” USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino told reporters on Saturday.

“He’s a player that can play in different positions in the attack,” Pochettino added. “Yes, sad situation, sad for him, sad for the team, but I think we need to prioritize his process to recovery.”

Wright entered camp fresh off a 12-goal haul for Coventry City in the EFL Championship. The California native has scored 31 goals for the Sky Blues in two seasons and overall has eclipsed 10 goals or more in each of his last five seasons at club level.

The USMNT will now rely on Patrick Agyemang, Damion Downs and Brian White to lead the line for the remainder of the tournament.

Pochettino’s squad faces Haiti in their group stage finale on Sunday before taking on either Mexico or Costa Rica in the quarterfinal round.