‘Destroy them’ – USMNT hero Haji Wright knew win was coming as in-form Coventry striker books CONCACAF Nations League final spot with dramatic brace against Jamaica

The United States got off to the worst possible start in their semi-final showdown with Caribbean opposition, as Greg Leigh opened the scoring inside 60 seconds. At the opposite end of the tie, in the 96th minute, Miles Robinson forced a dramatic own goal from Cory Burke to send the game to extra-time.

In-form Coventry striker Wright, who was drafted into Greg Berhalter’s squad when Josh Sargent withdrew through injury, bagged a brace in extra-time to book a final berth for the USMNT. He said afterwards of prevailing in a testing encounter: “It was a difficult day for us. We didn’t start well, obviously when then scored 1-0 in the first minute of the game. It was kind of hard to get into the game, they were in a low block and we were just trying to break them down the whole game. They did well for most of the game, but fortunately for us we got a goal in the 90th minute and once we scored we knew we were just going to keep going and destroy them really because they had nothing left in the tank. We applied the pressure and were able to score two more goals.”

Gio Reyna, who has struggled for game time during a frustrating loan spell at Premier League side Nottingham Forest, played a crucial role in the U.S. fightback as he provided two assists – with Wright adding on the 21-year-old playmaker: “I know Gio is a player with a lot of talent and is a player that can pick those kind of passes. I know from watching and playing with him that he’s that guy – if you make the right runs, he’ll find you. That was the case today.”

The United States will face old adversaries Mexico in the CONCACAF Nations League final on Sunday, with continental silverware once again up for grabs as Berhalter’s side seek to defend a crown that they have dominated by winning the first two editions of the competition in 2021 and 2023.