Sept. 8, 2009

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Jon Wright is a freshman midfielder/forward from Tulsa, Okla. The newcomer has been one of several new Tigers to make a notable impact on the squad so far this year. Wright scored his first two career goals on Sunday in the U of M's second game of the Busey Bank Classic on the campus of Bradley University in Peoria, Ill.

How does it feel to score two goals in only your second regular season game as a Memphis Tiger?

"It felt really good. It was just a good team performance all around. It was more important to get the win and that felt best."

What happened offensively for you to be able to score your two goals?

"The first one was a great team movement. I think it was Bryno (Brian Farrell) had the ball on the left side and he put it in behind to Parker (Duncan) and Parker ran down the line and put it in to J.J (Greer). J.J. (Greer) flicked it back into me at the top of the box and I had a lot of space and got a lucky shot and put it in."

How about your second goal?

"The second goal was, I forgot who fed it into Parker (Duncan), but Parker (Duncan) flicked it on and the defender just kind of dallied on it and I took it off him. The goalkeeper was way out of whack. So I put it over him and in."

How has it been being a freshman and getting the opportunity to play a lot of minutes?

"It's nice. Coming in you don't really know what to expect. You think you're ready because you have done a bunch of work in the offseason but it is definitely a lot tougher than you imagine. Obviously being away from home for the first time in my life, their are growing pains that come with it."

How has it been being away from your family in Tulsa and playing soccer in Memphis?

"It's been alright. I miss my Mom and Dad, obviously. I'm getting used to it."

Now you knew Thomas Shannon, a sophomore on the team, before this, correct?

"I played with Thomas, so it was nice to have a face here already that I could relate to."

Who are you living with and how have you been bonding with the rest of the team?

"Right now I am rooming with Mark Sherrod. He's hurt with a torn ACL. He is a good guy, he is fun to mess around with and hang out with. I think the team has a good chemistry. We all like each other. We all get along well.

How are classes going so far?

"Classes are easy right now. It is the first couple of weeks of school, so they are always easy. I plan on being an international business major with a minor in a couple of languages."

How was it to play on Fox Soccer Channel on Friday night against Bradley?

"It was amazing to play on Fox Soccer Channel. You grow up, from the time I was 10 or 11 years old, watching people play on the channel."

How was the soccer environment at Bradley, in terms of fans and the overall atmosphere that playing on Fox Soccer Channel created?

"It was crazy. In warm-ups I had people reading my bios screaming that they went to school with me in high school and different facts about me. It was crazy. It was different."

How did Parker scoring the goal in the 86th minute change the environment?

"It was insane. It was a couple minutes left in the game, they were pumped, they were loud. All of a sudden Parker knocks one in and it was just dead silent. It was just ridiculous."

The team is heading to Birmingham, Ala., this weekend for the UAB "Soccer For A Cure Classic", what do you set out to do this weekend and what do you know about UMKC and Drake?

"We want to win the tournament and get a couple of wins out of it. I don't know much about UMKC, but in a couple polls Drake is ranked in the Top-25, so they will be a tough opponent."

What is something that fans wouldn't know about Jon Wright?

"I'm a huge Manchester United fan."

So I think we might have just figured out why Richie Grant recruited you. (Grant is also a fan of Manchester United) Have you and Richie talked much about much about the Red Devils (Manchester United)?

"Not yet, I really haven't had a chance to."

Are any of the other guys on the team Manchester United fans?

"No, but Mark (Sherrod) my roommate is an Arsenal fan. So we have a bit of banter going back and forth.

How did you become a huge Manchester United fan?

"It was after the 2002 World Cup when I really got into watching a lot of soccer. I liked a few of the England players and I started to follow them and it just happened to be that they all played on Manchester United. So I fell in love from there.