From Sacrifices to Glory- USMNT Star’s Last-Minute Decision Propels Victory Over Jamaica in CONCACAF Nations League Semifinal

In the 90th minute, the chances of USMNT lifting their third consecutive CONCACAF Nations League looked slim. Jamaica was leading the SF tie by a goal thanks to Greg Leigh’s effort in the very first minute! However, Cory Burke scored an own goal to hand a lifeline to Gregg Berhalter’s side. This dragged the game to extra time and from then on it was all the Haji Wright show, who has an uncanny ability for late match winners!

The Coventry City winger scored in the 96th minute to give USMNT the lead. But he didn’t stop there as he put a dagger into Jamaican hearts with his effort in the 109th minute. This sealed the match for the defending champions who will now face Mexico in the final on 24th March. After his impressive performance against the Netherlands in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, and the match-winning screamer in added time against Wolves in the FA Cup, Wright once again proved to be the man for the big occasions. However, surprisingly, he was not even supposed to feature in this tournament, let alone the game! Prolific attacker, Josh Sargent was expected to lead the line for USMNT.

However, an unfortunate ankle injury meant Sargent was ruled out just before the Nations League. As his replacement came Haji Wright. The striker nearly had one foot in the airport when he got called up. As per Berhalter, Wright, along with his girlfriend and family, was on the way to Dubai for vacation. However, he canceled the plans and went on to reap the rewards of his sacrifice.

So how did Berhalter convince a ‘second choice’ player to abandon his holiday plans at the last moment and join the group? Hear the tale from the USMNT boss himself.

The ’10 minutes’ that convinced Haji Wright to ditch his holiday for the USMNT!

Haji Wright has delighted and was rightfully crowned the Man of the Match. However, things were not always positive for the winger. In the post-match conference, Berhalter explained that he made a first call to the Coventry star to inform him that he was not in his plans initially. However, it was his eventful second call that proved to be decisive. The USMNT boss explained in his post-match presser, “So I call him and he was like, ‘Well, I’m at the airport and my whole family’s here, my agent’s already there, my girlfriend, she planned the whole thing’. This really happened! What do you do, right? I said, ‘Haji, I’m gonna give you 10 minutes.'” 

Berhalter added, “I know you have your parents, the bags are packed, and you’re at the airport, but just think about it for 10 minutes and give me a callback.” In exactly 10 minutes, Wright called with the message ‘I’m in‘, and for the coach, this sealed the deal regarding his mentality, and there was no looking back. As the USMNT takes on neighbors Mexico in 2 days, all eyes will be on the Coventry City star.

Who will win that match? Let us know your predictions.

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