The U.S. men’s national team is hoping to secure its starting forward position ahead of this summer’s crucial Copa America tournament on home soil.
The USMNT is expected to go deep into the upcoming competition with Gregg Berhalter at the helm of the Stars and Stripes. While the USA’s midfield and defense have improved over the years, many players have found it difficult to embrace the center forward position to partner Christian Pulisic and Tim Weah in attack.
Even though Weah and Pulisic were involved in most of the USMNT’s attacking goals, Berhalter’s side won’t be able to go as far as they would like in the Copa America without a solid striker up front. Berhalter himself has struggled to stick with a striker since his initial appointment in 2018.
At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Berhalter went back and forth between Josh Sargent and Haji Wright in the group stage before dropping FC Dallas talisman Jesus Ferreira in the USA’s 3-1 round of 16 loss to the Netherlands Lineup brought.
While the majority of players on the striker search list will be players currently living in Europe, don’t be surprised if you see a few Major League Soccer strikers who could be on their way across the pond in the near future.
USMNT strikers:
Shockwaves rippled through the international soccer world when Folarin Balogun decided to make a one-time, FIFA-approved move from England to the USMNT last spring.
The former Arsenal player hasn’t quite found the same form that saw him score 22 goals for Stade de Reims in 2022/2023, but he still has seven goals and four assists in Ligue 1 this season and is probably the favorite in the starting lineup on June 27 against Panama.
In just 10 appearances for the United States, Balogun has scored three goals, including a game-winning strike in the 2023 CONCACAF Nations League final victory over Canada.
Ricardo Pepi is another well-known USMNT forward who isn’t too far behind Balogun in the center forward pecking order.
Pepi has made the most of his limited minutes in his first season with Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven, scoring seven goals and two assists in just one start – 416 minutes played in 25 appearances.
The 21-year-old has proven to be efficient in the USA’s offense when given the opportunity, scoring ten goals in 23 appearances.
Josh Sargent’s performances with Norwich City in the EFL Championship may be overlooked from time to time as it is not the glamorous Premier League, but the former Werder Bremen player has had a career season with the Canaries.
The 24-year-old set a new career high for goals scored in a single season in the Championship this season with 16, good enough to secure the fifth-most goals scored in the division.
With 23 international appearances for the USMNT, Sargent has scored five goals since making his debut in May 2018.