The U.S. men’s national team will go to the World Cup without one of its most in-form goalscorers.
Ricardo Pepi, who has rediscovered his form in recent months after a loan move to Groningen, was surprisingly left off the USMNT roster for Qatar. Pepi has five goals and two assists in his first eight appearances since making that move, and had been a regular call-up for Gregg Berhalter even while struggling through his first European season at Augsburg.
That burst of success in the Eredivisie, and the restored confidence that came with it, seemed to secure his place on Berhalter’s roster. Instead, the USMNT head coach delivered a shock, dropping Pepi and calling on Jesús Ferreira, Josh Sargent, and Haji Wright as his three strikers.
“In the case of Ricardo, you know, that was a really difficult conversation that I had to have,” Berhalter told ESPN moments after the news dropped. “It’s always difficult when a guy helps you get to the World Cup, he scores three goals in World Cup qualifying, [and] isn’t going to be a part of the program.”
“It’s more about who we did add that we felt good about,” added Berhalter, preferring to highlight what the other strikers did to secure their places over critiquing Pepi’s play. “Josh is competing in the Championship, he played in the Premier League last year. We’re playing Wales and England, both teams are stocked with players from those leagues. Haji Wright is in great form with his team in Turkey, scoring nine goals already so far. And Jesús has been good for us, and a guy who really understands the game plan and how to execute it.”
Wright ‘in great goalscoring form’
Berhalter didn’t quite hone in on what Pepi had been missing to fall down the depth chart so late in the process, but he did give some insight into how Wright managed to climb above him.
The Antalyaspor striker wasn’t even seen as Pepi’s biggest challenger, with most of the signs pointing towards Pefok being the next man up. Wright has been very consistent in the Turkish top flight, but his last appearance with the USMNT saw Berhalter openly declare that he hadn’t capitalized on his opportunity. While Berhalter chalked the situation up to it “not being [Wright’s] night,” the choice to haul him off at halftime was widely read as the end of the California native’s World Cup hopes.
Speaking to reporters after announcing the roster, Berhalter explained some of what gave Wright the advantage in the end.
“We felt like Haji is in great goalscoring form,” said Berhalter, adding that while Wright is possibly less physically strong than Pefok, his speed was a factor in the decision. “Haji has pace. He’s got the ability to go one-v-one. He’s got finishing with his head, both feet. He’s performing really well in the Turkish League.”
Berhalter was so bullish on Wright’s form that he even drew a direct comparison between the USMNT man and Belgium striker Michy Batshuayi.
“Let’s not forget that the starting striker from Belgium also plays in the Turkish League and has five goals, and Haji has nine goals. And the Belgium guy’s probably playing for a better team, also. So I mean, this is not an easy league to score goals in, and he’s doing a good job.”
Batshuayi does in fact suit up for Fenerbahçe, the Istanbul-based giants that are currently five points clear atop the Turkish Super Lig table. Wright — who has nine of his club’s 19 league goals this season — and Antalyaspor are eight places and 13 points further down the table.
It’s not a totally even comparison. Batshuayi has only appeared in seven games since moving to Fenerbahçe a little over two months ago, and between league games and Europa League contests has scored a goal for every 75 minutes played, as compared to Wright’s rate of 117 minutes per goal. But even still, drawing a line between the two players clearly serves to highlight just how strong Wright’s form is in Berhalter’s eyes.
Berhalter added that the nature of this World Cup, with a lack of pre-tournament friendlies and prep time, made him place more weight on individual form than he might have otherwise.
“We don’t have three games before the World Cup now. We have a week of training, and that made it extremely difficult,” said Berhalter. “If we would have made the decision mid-September, Jordan Pefok would have probably been a lock to be in, based on his form in Union Berlin. But since then, it’s a different story. Now Haji’s come on more.”
[lawrence-related id=9501,9489]