Haji Wright Misses the Rest of the Gold Cup Due to Injury
American forward Haji Wright will not be able to participate in the remainder of the Concacaf Gold Cup due to an Achilles tendon injury, the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) announced on Saturday.
In a statement, USSF reported that Wright “will return to Coventry City for further evaluation and treatment.” Tournament rules state that Wright cannot be replaced on the United States roster.
Wright, 27, scored as a substitute in the United States’ initial 5-0 victory over Trinidad and Tobago. However, he did not participate in the training sessions prior to the match against Saudi Arabia and was excluded from the squad for the match.
After the match, the United States coach, Mauricio Pochettino, indicated that an announcement would be made about Wright’s condition in the coming days.
Wright was seen with his teammates getting off the bus before Saturday’s training session, but he was limited to working in the gym, according to a team spokesperson.
The injury is a hard blow for Wright, who was coming off a solid season with Coventry City in the English Championship, scoring 12 goals in 31 appearances between league and cup.
The player was also hoping to make a significant impression given that other forwards like Folarin Balogun, Ricardo Pepi, and Josh Sargent were not included in the final Gold Cup roster.
