Haji Wright’s 2025-26 campaign has not only earned him English Premier League promotion but a spot in the EFL Championship’s highest honor.
Wright was named to the Championship’s Team of the Season, the EFL announced Sunday at their annual award ceremony. The U.S. men’s national team striker most recently clinched promotion with Coventry City on Friday after the Sky Blues’ 1-1 road draw with Blackburn Rovers.
Wright’s 16 league goals this season are ranked as the second-most in the league’s Golden Boot race. In total, Wright has 17 tallies in all competitions, after also finding the back of the net in EFL Cup action last fall.
The 27-year-old has found the back of the net eight times in 2026, with three of those coming in a key hat-trick performance against Middlesbrough back on February 16. Wright also scored in three-consecutive matches from February 25-March 7, all of which finished as victories for Coventry City.
Since joining the Sky Blues from Turkish side Antalyaspor in August 2023, Wright has scored 48 goals in 121 appearances for the club.
Coventry City remains top of the EFL Championship table with 86 points, 10 higher than second-place Ipswich Town. Frank Lampard’s men have three matches remaining, starting with Tuesday’s home clash with Portsmouth.
I hope that Haji has some success at the EPL level – or maybe just stays healthy and avoids the Achilles Curse of big US forwards at that level (Dike and now Agyemang).
USMNT players have not always had a lot of success after being promoted or transferred in. Clint and Brian McBride are probably the exceptions who had good stays at the EPL. Landon had a couple good stints at Everton on loan, but nothing that lasted. Jozy was excoriated while at Sunderland. Pulisic didn’t leave any legacy at Chelsea. Aaronson has low and high tides at Leeds – mainly low in reports of fan comments. I am sure I am leaving out a historically good marker – Jovan Kirosvski?
MWR,
Geoff Cameron and Stu Holden went straight from MLS to the EPL and both did well very quickly. Stu was named Bolton’s player of the year ( 2010-2011) and was on an outstanding arc until they broke his knees. Geoff went on to have an outstanding career much of it in the EPL.
Jovan Kirovski and Jonathan Spector played in the English Premier League (EPL). Both started at the Manchester United Academy but their paths in the league were quite different.
Jovan was at Manchester United from 1992–1996 but he never made a first-team appearance for them probably due to work permit issues. Later on he was at Birmingham City when they were in the EPL and had 23 appearances in the Premier League, scoring 2 goals.
Jonathan had a longer career in the EPL, making over 100 EPL appearances and becoming a versatile regular for Manchester United, Charlton Athletic (loan), and West Ham United. He made his EPL debut for Manchester United in the 2004–05 season.
Achilles, it’s not just big US forwards:
Miles Robinson: The star center back suffered a ruptured left Achilles in May 2022 while playing for Atlanta United.
Aaron Long: In May 2021, the veteran defender ruptured his Achilles. He eventually returned and made the 2022 World Cup roster.
Brad Guzan: The veteran goalkeeper suffered a torn Achilles in April 2022, occurring just weeks before Miles Robinson’s injury at Atlanta United.
Miles and Aaron were never the same after their injuries while Brad was already about to retire
USMNT players who have been similarly honored by the Championship.
Tim Ream Fulham 2021–22 & 2017–18
Antonee Robinson Fulham 2021–22
DeAndre Yedlin Newcastle 2016–17
Interesting how things have changed. Haji is the first forward. Good for him.