Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Oliver Ephraim Wright [1] | ||
Date of birth | 1 March 1999 | ||
Place of birth | London, England | ||
Position(s) | Attacking midfielder | ||
Team information | |||
Current team | Portland Hearts of Pine | ||
Number | 10 | ||
Youth career | |||
c. 2015 | CB Hounslow United | ||
Fulham | |||
2016–2017 | Brentford | ||
College career | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2017–2020 | St. Mary's Rattlers | 55 | (13) |
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2019 | Corpus Christi FC | 14 | (7) |
2021 | San Antonio FC | 14 | (0) |
2022 | Rio Grande Valley FC | 4 | (0) |
2023–2024 | Huntsville City FC | 46 | (3) |
2025– | Portland Hearts of Pine | 16 | (3) |
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 3 August 2025 |
Oliver Ephraim Wright (born 1 March 1999) is an English professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Portland Hearts of Pine in the USL League One.
Born in London, England, Wright spent time with CB Hounslow United, [2] the Brentford CST and in the Fulham and Queens Park Rangers academies. [3] [4]
In 2016, Wright moved to the United States to play college soccer at St. Mary's University, Texas. Wright made 55 appearances, scoring 13 goals and tallying 20 assists over three seasons with the Rattlers. During his time in college, Wright was named All-Heartland Conference Third Team in 2018, and in 2019 was named Lone Star Conference Player of the Year, Lone Star Conference Midfielder of the Year, South Central Region Player of the Year and D2CCA and United Soccer Coaches All-American. [5]
In 2019, Wright played with USL League Two side Corpus Christi FC, where he scored seven goals and 15 assists in just 14 appearances, setting the League Two single-season assist record. [6]
On 15 December 2020, it was announced Wright would join USL Championship side San Antonio FC on a two-year deal ahead of their 2021 season. [7] He made his professional debut on 1 May 2021, appearing as an 85th-minute substitute during a 3–0 win over Colorado Springs Switchbacks. [8]
Wright signed with USL Championship side Rio Grande Valley FC on 23 February 2022. [9] An injury suffered in the preseason leading up to the 2022 season kept him on the sidelines for the majority of the year, and he only returned to full fitness in time for the last four games. [10]
In January 2023, Wright signed for MLS Next Pro expansion side Huntsville City FC. [11] During his two seasons there, he became the leader in both appearances for the club (51) as well as assists (13), and he won the club's inaugural Supporters' Player of the Year award after the 2023 season. [12]
On 28 December 2024, Wright signed for USL League One expansion side Portland Hearts of Pine. [13] He made his debut in the club's first ever match, a 4–0 win against CD Faialense in the U.S. Open Cup on 20 March 2025. [14] On 31 May, he scored his first goal for the Hearts of Pine in a 4–2 victory over Detroit City FC in the USL Cup, in front of his father Roy, who travelled from London to Maine to watch the match. [15] Following the match, Wright called it the best moment of his career in a tweet. [16]
On 15 June 2025, Wright notched his first professional hat trick and the first hat trick in Hearts of Pine history, scoring all three goals in a 3–1 home win over Union Omaha. [17] Following this performance, he was named USL League One player of the week, the first Hearts of Pine player ever to receive the honour. [18] He received the USL Players' Association's League One Player of the Month award for June 2025, the first Hearts of Pine player to win the award. [19]
Individual