Haji Wright scored goals either side of half-time to help the United States defeat Australia 2-1 in a friendly on Tuesday night. The Coventry City striker's brace helped the hosts overcome Jordan Bos' 19th minute opener, with both goals assisted by midfielder Cristian Roldan. The win for the U.S. extended its unbeaten streak to three games, while Australia saw its own 11-game run under manager Tony Popovic come to an end.
MONTRÉAL, Canada -- Back when he was Melbourne Victory coach, Tony Popovic once described the chance to play the role of villain and ruin an opponent's fairytale as beautiful. If he still feels the same way as Socceroos boss, then Friday evening's 1-0 win over Canada might have been one of the most magnificent victories that he's been a part of. Canada's meeting with Australia at Montréal's Stade Saputo was supposed to be a homecoming and a celebration.
I'm in awe of that strike. I saw him do a couple of those in training. He's a special talent, he has a special shot, and we'll talk about all the great things that he does with the ball, but what is most pleasing for me is how hard he worked. That gets overlooked a fair bit, but what I've seen this year at Watford, the boy is maturing and understands that you have to work for the team and you have to defend.