World Cup 2022: Jesús Ferreira, Haji Wright battle for USMNT striker spot

By Laken Litman
FOX Sports Soccer Writer

AUSTIN, Texas — One of the biggest questions surrounding the U.S. Men’s National Team heading into the World Cup this November is: Who will emerge at striker? Who's going to be the one to step up, seize the opportunity and score some goals?

The USMNT face Grenada in a CONCACAF Nations League match at 10 p.m. ET Friday, the last game they will play stateside before the World Cup. Then the team travels to El Salvador for a match June 14. The U.S. beat Morocco 3-0 and settled for a 0-0 draw against Uruguay, two World Cup entrants, earlier this month and will get together for just one more training camp in Europe this September. Then it’s off to Qatar.

All of this is to say that there isn't a ton of time left for manager Gregg Berhalter to tinker, experiment and find the perfect blend of players to make up his 23-man roster. While this team has plenty of depth and talent all over the field, the most uncertain spot is the No. 9 position, which is very much up for grabs.

Berhalter has tried out several options at striker over the past year, including Ricardo Pepi, Jesús Ferreira, Jordan Pefok, Josh Sargent and Gyasi Zardes. During qualifying, only Pepi and Ferreira found the back of the net.

Ferreira and Haji Wright were the only strikers invited to this short, four-game June camp. Ferreira has started both games so far, and Wright has come off the bench. Neither has been super productive, though there have been chances. Ferreira has had several quality looks; against Uruguay, he shot a through ball from Christian Pulisic right to the goalkeeper, and later, a header off a DeAndre Yedlin cross soared over the crossbar.

The strange thing about the 21-year-old Ferreira is that he has been dominant playing this same position for FC Dallas. In fact, he currently leads the MLS’ Golden Boot race with nine goals in 14 matches.

On Thursday, he admitted to being in a scoring funk but said he believes he can get out of it.

"I have a good group of people around me that help me stay focused, and I know the goals will come," Ferreira said. "Right now I’m going through a little struggle, but it’s something that, if I stay focused and I keep working, things are gonna bounce my way."

Then there’s Wright, who scored a goal — albeit via penalty kick — in his first cap against Morocco on June 1. He’s not as well known to U.S. fans as Ferreira, but the 6-foot-4 striker has a long history playing for various clubs around the world. He was dominant on the youth national team, too, playing alongside guys such as Pulisic, Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie.

"That was the duo back in the day, me and Haji," Pulisic said earlier this month. "We played a lot of games together in the youth national teams. And it’s cool to have him back in, seeing him do so well at club level, and having him in here is great. He’s gonna get his opportunity, and I’m so excited for him."

While Wright’s former teammates have made names for themselves overseas, the 24-year-old didn’t really have a breakout season until the 2021-22 campaign, when he finished among the Super Lig’s top scorers playing for Turkish club Antalyaspor. Wright scored 14 goals in 32 matches, including in seven straight games in April and May. That’s when he caught Berhalter’s attention and earned an invitation to this training camp. 

Wright joins the senior national team at a time when nobody has locked down the starting striker job. 

How will Berhalter evaluate Ferreira and Wright in these last two games against non-World Cup teams Grenada and El Salvador? If the two strikers are in good form and score goals, what does that mean in the context of playing a weaker opponent?

"This game is going to be about our mindset, our intensity, and that’s a really important thing," Berhalter said. "When you talk about evaluation, this is a really easy game because we’re evaluating our mentality, we’re evaluating our intensity, the ability to play in warm conditions and overcome that mentally.

"The important message to the group is, ‘We’re defending champs of the Nations League. We want to get off to a good start, and it means beating Grenada.’"

While Berhalter didn't discuss any players specifically, the fact of the matter remains: There are five months left until the World Cup, and the striker door is wide open. Maybe Berhalter will invite more strikers in for the September window or use recent call-up Malik Tillman, who is listed as a midfielder, up top. Perhaps there are ways to get winger Tim Weah or the currently injured Gio Reyna more involved.

Regardless, the opportunity is there waiting for someone to grab.

Laken Litman covers college football, college basketball and soccer for FOX Sports. She previously covered college football, college basketball, the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team and the Olympics at Sports Illustrated, USA Today and The Indianapolis Star. Her first book, written in partnership with Rizzoli and Sports Illustrated and titled "Strong Like a Woman," was published in spring 2022 marking the 50th anniversary of Title IX.