Who is Haji Wright? The USA international lighting up the FA Cup at Coventry

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Haji Wright ran towards the corner flag with arms wide open in joy, as he spotted the away fans at Molineux. He dropped to his knees and slid in a celebratory manner after scoring a magnificent goal that led Coventry City to the FA Cup semi-final for the second time in their history.

What happened in the match was really intense. During the second half, it seemed like the Championship team had won against Wolves thanks to Ellis Simms' goal. However, Rayan Ait-Nouri and Hugo Bueno managed to score two goals in just five minutes, crushing the Championship team's hopes.

However, Coventry had one last surprise in store during the cup match. Simms managed to score a second goal in the extra time, which brought them back on equal footing with their opponents. And just before the game ended, Wright scored the winning goal that secured Coventry's spot in the semi-finals. This exciting victory also meant that they would be facing Manchester United at Wembley Stadium in their next game.

Wright, who was born in Los Angeles, has had a unique journey to reach his current position. As a young adult, he was predicted to be a future sensation on the US men's national team. However, he decided to join Schalke back in 2016 with the goal of rising through the ranks and becoming an integral player for the Bundesliga club. His physical attributes, including his height and speed, along with his remarkable ability to score goals with both feet made him an ideal candidate for success.

Despite having a promising career, his progress was halted due to the lack of opportunities available to him. However, in the summer of 2019, Schalke and the forward came to an agreement to part ways. He then moved to VVV Venlo in the Netherlands by mutual consent after registering only one goal during his short stint at the club.

Wright didn't have much luck advancing his career in Venlo. He only made 22 appearances during one season in Eredivisie and failed to score any goals. He then moved on to join Sønderjyske in Denmark. Even though he was once considered the next big thing and even outshone Christian Pulisic while playing for the United States’ Under-17s, he hadn't yet lived up to his potential. Fortunately, the small town of Haderslev offered him a fresh start.

After just a few months in Denmark, Wright was recognized as the Superliga player of the month. He played well throughout the season and caught the attention of bigger clubs. In July 2021, he left for Antalyaspor in Turkey. His success continued as he scored 14 league goals on loan in 2021-2022, and followed that up with 15 more goals last season. Wright is of Liberian and Ghanaian descent, and he recently made his debut for the USMNT in June 2022, scoring against Morocco. He added another international goal at the World Cup in Qatar against the Netherlands.

In the past, he received offers from Championship clubs due to his steady ability to score. However, last summer, he was transferred to Coventry for an unprecedented fee of approximately £7.7m. Since then, he has formed a robust partnership with Simms and both are approaching the milestone of scoring 20 goals across all competitions.

Next, the duo will aim to assess Manchester United's defense as Coventry strives for more cup glory. A notable example of their success in a cup final was in 1987, when they defeated Tottenham in extra time, thereby making it one of the most memorable cup finals. The other three teams in the final four are major players in the Premier League, so it may be challenging for Coventry to repeat their past win. Despite this, Wright has already led the team on an exceptional cup run that they will not soon forget.