Is Josh Sargent Playing His Way Out of USMNT Rejection?

A new era beckons for the U.S. men’s national team.

After completing the 2026 World Cup cycle with a round of 16 exit against Belgium on home soil, recently-extended manager Mauricio Pochettino is set to lead the charge in the new quadrennial.

It is expected that many of the American players included on the 26-man World Cup roster this summer won’t be in Pochettino’s plans for much longer. For example, veteran captain Tim Ream, 38, is likely done with the program, and others could be on the fringes, including 31-year-old goalkeeper Matt Turner. In their places, young, emerging stars are expected to slide right in, gaining exposure and reps ahead of the 2030 World Cup.

And there could be a space for a once-common call-up: Josh Sargent, who has fallen out of Pochettino’s favor.

The 26-year-old striker was overlooked for the 2026 squad in favor of Folarin Balogun, Ricardo Pepi and Haji Wright. Sargent has largely been left out of the mix since Pochettino took over in Sept. 2024, earning just six caps since playing a key role at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Yet, his recent form could be turning the tides. While he struggled at Norwich City and was exiled as he looked to force a transfer in the final weeks of the 2025–26 season, he has since made Toronto FC his home and Major League Soccer his grand stage.

Josh Sargent bagged his first MLS hat trick in style 👏 pic.twitter.com/Ww3zxwOwRA
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) September 6, 2026

After completing a club-record transfer fee of $22 million to sign as a Designated Player in February, Sargent got off to a slow start in Toronto, but he has since hit his best form in years, now up to four goals and an assist in his last four games. He has seven goals and two assists total in 16 league matches thus far.

On Saturday, he secured his first professional hat-trick in a 4–4 draw with Robert Lewandowski’s Chicago Fire, pushing the Reds within a point of the MLS Cup playoff spots and bringing energy back to a franchise that has struggled since losing the 2019 MLS Cup final.

His finishes, too, were exceptional, smashing the ball past USMNT World Cup goalkeeper Chris Brady with unrelenting force, and cashing in on chances that had eluded him for the earlier parts of the season.

“It’s been a while, so happy to finally get my first professional hat trick,” Sargent said postgame. “My kids have been waiting for this moment. They’ve been pestering me, saying, ‘You gonna score today? You gonna score today?’ So I’m very happy about it, of course.”

Josh Sargent Begs For Chances

Sargent’s previous struggles to pick up the scoring pace weren’t entirely on him. Manager Robin Fraser had difficulty curating ample attacking opportunities, and Toronto were often left exposed in midfield until the recent signing of former Bundesliga defensive midfielder Niklas Dorsch.

Sargent was often left isolated up top due to a lack of transition efforts, and injury-riddled chance-creators, such as Djordje Mihailovic, had not been able to create consistent high-quality chances for Sargent or the others on the front line.

Noticing this trend, Sargent striker begged Mihailovic to simplify the attack against Chicago.

“We talked before the game actually, and I just spoke with him and said, ‘Find me. You get on the ball, find me, try to play me into dangerous spots,’ and it's exactly what he did,” Sargent said. “It worked.”

Winning the USMNT Striker Battle

With his recent form, there’s a real chance Pochettino turns an eye to Sargent for the fall friendlies against Peru, Chile, Mexico and Canada, which begin later this month. The Toronto striker will be 30 years old at the next World Cup and is familiar with representing his nation, holding 29 previous caps.

At the same time, there’s a lot of uncertainty among the USMNT’s European-based talent. World Cup hero Folarin Balogun has yet to play for AS Monaco this season and endured a dramatic, failed move to Everton, while Haji Wright isn’t expected to return from injury until November.

That leaves just Pepi at the No. 9 position. He has three goals in five games with PSV Eindhoven, proving to be the most in-form American talent under age 30 in Europe.

Sargent could easily slide into a depth role for Pochettino, but will have to beat out other in-form MLS strikers, including 17-year-old Julian Hall of Red Bull New York or the Vancouver Whitecaps’ 30-year-old Brian White, who stands as the top U.S. striker in MLS with 13 goals this season.

Falling in the middle of Hall and White age-wise, though, could benefit Sargent. His hat trick alone won’t earn him a USMNT return, but with Pochettino expected to experiment during the fall window, there could be a chance for Sargent to score his way back into international duty.

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