Norwich City and Coventry City stars will have different feelings after Tuesday night development - it’s gutting for Carrow Road favourite | OneFootball

Haji Wright and Josh Sargent have endured contrasting fortunes on the international stage of late

The October international break has provided plenty of storylines across world football, despite the fact many argue it disrupts the flow and momentum of club matters due to a two-week gap in the fixture list.

The Championship has, once again, taken a backseat at the start of the month, with plenty of high-profile stars from across the division's 24 stars on duty for their respective countries, many of whom are looking to secure their spots in next summer's FIFA World Cup 2026 taking place in Canada, the United States of America and Mexico.

Being a host nation, the USMNT are one of three countries who needn't worry about their prospects of qualifying for the major tournament, leaving the 'Stars and Stripes' to play out a plethora of friendly encounters as former Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur boss, Mauricio Pochettino, casts his eye over a pool of talent looking to right the wrongs of an underwhelming performance in Qatar under Gregg Berhalter.

There are several names currently under the Argentinian's watchful eye with previous connections to the English second tier, including the likes of Cameron Carter-Vickers, Antonee Robinson, Brenden Aaronson, as well as current stars such as Aidan Morris and Patrick Agyemang of Middlesbrough and Derby County respectively.

The aforementioned duo have certainly impressed in the opening weeks of the season at the Riverside Stadium and Pride Park. However, recent developments concerning both Haji Wright and Josh Sargent from an international perspective will have certainly left the Norwich City forward frustrated, particularly when seeing his divisional rival and compatriot excel in Colorado on Tuesday night.

Haji Wright proves Mauricio Pochettino, USMNT backing amid exceptional Coventry City form

Wright has endured a mixed spell of fortunes since arriving at Coventry City for a club-record £7.7m fee in August 2023, being acquired by Mark Robins in an attempt to fill the void left by Viktor Gyokeres.

After a slow start for both him and Ellis Simms, the Los Angeles-born forward certainly clicked into gear as his first campaign in the English game progressed, ending the season on 16 goals and seven assists as the Sky Blues fell short of the play-offs.

Last term was far more complex, though. Wright was unable to replicate such form before Robins' exit in November 2024, before suffering an ankle issue that kept him sidelined in the early weeks of Frank Lampard's reign at the CBS, despite being the subject of transfer interest from the likes of Leicester City and Ipswich Town.

The 27-year-old would eventually return in style with a hat-trick against Sunderland, before somewhat being accused of drifting in and out of games as he scored twice more to end the season on double figures as City were defeated in the play-off semi-final stage by the Black Cats.

However, no player has started the current season in a richer vein of form, it must be said.

Wright has scored in all but three of City's nine games this season, with his eight goals massively contributing to a remarkable tally of 27 goals across Lampard's squad as they return from the international break as the only side in England's professional leagues defending an unbeaten record.

Surprisingly, he was omitted from Pochettino's USMNT squad for September, but only continued his red-hot scoring streak with a brace against Australia on Tuesday night, earning praise from the 53-year-old who talked up his potential chances of a place in the World Cup squad.

“That is what we expect when you give the opportunity to the player," he said.

“A player that performs like today, Haji, can be close. It's possible to be involved."

As good as the break has been for Wright, the aforementioned Sargent may be looking on with envy.

Josh Sargent may be the victim of Haji Wright's red-hot USMNT, Coventry City form

Sargent's ability at Championship level has also been well-documented. In truth, there haven't been many strikers at second tier level as prolific as the former Werder Bremen centre-forward, despite a handful of injury setbacks.

The 25-year-old has hit double figures in each of the past three full campaigns for the Canaries under Dean Smith, David Wagner and Johannes Hoff Thorup, despite being sidelined for extended periods in the 2023/24 and 2024/25 campaigns.

Unsurprisingly, the explosive frontman has also been the subject of Premier League interest as a result, as he looks way more of a complete striker than when he moved to Carrow Road following Norwich's promotion in 2021.

However, Sargent is yet to translate such exploits at international level, holding a record of five goals in 29 caps ever since making his senior USMNT debut in May 2018.

He hasn't scored for his country since firing home a double in a 4-0 success over Costa Rica in May 2019, yet was picked as part of the 2022 FIFA World Cup squad.

However, Pochettino has only utilised his services on three occasions, stating in May that he was omitted from the June international squad as a result of a "footballing decision", before making a 62-minute appearance against South Korea last month before, once again, being dropped from the Argentinian's plans for the recent outings against Ecuador and Australia.

At present, it looks more likely that Wright has played his way into contention whilst Sargent isn't fancied as much by the former Spurs boss, which will certainly fuel extra motivation, despite also being a crushing blow to the Norwich man.