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Forward Josh Sargent, left, can't crack into the lineup for the U.S. Men's National Team. Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

Why prolific goalscorer remains ignored by USMNT

By Alyssa Clang | Last updated Aug 18, 2025 5:25 PM ET

With three goals in three games for Norwich City this season, American striker Josh Sargent is playing exceptionally well. It's not surprising. Last season, he earned Player of the Season for Norwich City in a vote by the team's fans.

But despite his stellar play, the versatile Sargent is a U.S. Men's National Team reject. He hasn't played for the national team since 2024.

"It is a football decision," USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino said calmly when asked in the spring about Sargent's absence from his team (h/t SBI Soccer).

A "football decision" means Sargent's absence isn't because of injury, fatigue, logistics or any one of the other myriad reasons a USMNT player might miss out on an international call-up. Pochettino simply isn't interested in what Sargent offers.

A quick look at Sargent's USMNT stats makes it easy to see why. He hasn't scored for the USMNT since 2019 despite making 16 appearances for the team during that time period. He has zero assists, too.

Sargent has experienced highs with the USMNT — he was a part of head coach Gregg Berhalter's World Cup team that lost in the Round of 16 in 2022 — but his legacy with the team is largely one of wasted promise.

Many American strikers have suffered through dry spells, but the curious thing about Sargent is that his dry spell seems limited to his national team performances. He has starred elsewhere, scoring 51 goals in all competitions since he signed with Norwich City in 2021.

Sargent tallied either a goal or an assist every 125 minutes for the Canaries in the Championship last season. That's the best — and the most efficient — scoring record of any American striker anywhere in the world during that time period. Top American goalscorers Folarin Balogun (Monaco), Haji Wright (Coventry) and Patrick Agyemang (Derby County) can't compare. Sargent's stats blow theirs out of the water.

That's the mystery of Sargent. He has been the most prolific, most consistent and most fit American striker anywhere in the world since 2024. But when it comes to the national team, Sargent remains on the outside looking in, sitting out major tournaments for "football decisions."

At a certain point, when a player's club form looks so wildly different from his international form, one must stop asking questions about the athlete and start asking questions about the teams that field him. Norwich has found a system that works for Sargent, so why can't the USMNT? Does it just not want to?

Signs point to yes. Norwich and Pochettino's USMNT play a fairly standard 4-2-3-1 formation built on attacking fullbacks, a high press and quick transitional play. But while Norwich builds its goals from all over the field, the USMNT is utterly reliant upon ball delivery from its wide players, but that kind of service is never going to be ideal for a hard-charging center forward like Sargent.

Call it "The Christian Pulisic Effect," after the talented but enigmatic USMNT midfielder. When a wide-attacking midfielder is your best player, a team must build its roster to cater to him. That's precisely what the USMNT has done, and for better or worse, it has left Sargent out in the cold.

“Sarge role-models everything you want,” said Norwich coach Liam Manning, per The Athletic. “He’s a top person, a top professional. You see his work rate and how he leads by example. He’s top class.”

He is. But with the USMNT developing in a different direction, Sargent may never get to show that for the national team — and the USMNT will be far worse for it.

Sargent and Norwich will return to Championship action on Saturday against Middlesbrough. The USMNT will returns to action on Sept. 6 against South Korea.

Alyssa Clang

Alyssa is a Boston-born Californian with a passion for global sport. She can yell about misplaced soccer passes in five languages and rattle off the turns of Silverstone in her sleep. You can find her dormant Twitter account at @alyssaclang, but honestly, you’re probably better off finding her here

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