Former Crusader Signs With English Club

Cape Cod Coach Praises West Virginia Standout

January 7, 2008

By Nick Williams

Former Cape Cod Crusader Andrew Wright has reached a one-year agreement with Scunthorpe United of England's Football League Championship, the second-highest division in the English soccer system after the Premier League.

The 22-year-old midfielder from Liverpool, England earned one assist in 13 games for the Crusaders last summer. He played at West Virginia before that, establishing himself as one of the best midfielders in the Big East, as well as the entire country.

Andy Wright (Photo courtesy: Cape Cod Crusaders)

"Andy came in and didn't disappoint at all," said Paul Baber, head coach of the Crusaders and Directory of Coaching for Mass. Premier Soccer. "He probably didn't score as many goals as we'd have liked him to, but he was very professional with his behavior and training. He played strong and hard on the field -- you can tell he played at a high level back home."

Wright was a Liverpool trainee back home until the age of 19, when he was recruited by West Virginia after a strong performance at the club's exit trials. He scored 18 goals in 83 matches with the Mountaineers, earning Second Team All-American honors and a Soccer America MVP while turning some heads in the process.

"Andy got recommended to me by a friend of mine who coached at St. John's who said he felt he and Dan Stratford were two of the best centerfielders in the Big East," Baber said. "From there I recruited them to come play with the Crusaders for the summer. He impressed me so much, I took him to the Revolution over the summer for a few days of training. The first day he was there, he scored a goal at the end of a scrimmage. I thought he was one of the better players on the field at the time.

"After that, I knew that he'd be looking to go back home and play."

With the Crusaders, Wright established himself as a physical and vocal presence right away, often wearing the armband if captain Graham Munro didn't suit up.

"He's the sort of leader on center midfield that you need," Baber said. "A strong competitor."

After his time in Cape Cod was over, Wright impressed in a tryout with Scunthorpe, including a stint in a reserve match against Sheffield United. The deal he signed is for one year with a club option, meaning the Iron can extend the pact another year if he does well -- something Baber expects him to do.

"He was very clever as a central midfielder," Baber said. "He knew when to foul to slow game down, how to work the refs, how to speak to them. He was very polite even though was a very strong player. He did it in such a manner that was very professional. The only thing he didn't do for us, which we knew he could do, was score goals. But other than that, he had a tremendous season for us."

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