Mauricio Pochettino may not have his No. 1 striking option for October’s pair of U.S. men’s national team friendlies, but he still has four other options hungry for the opportunity to shine.
Folarin Balogun’s dislocated shoulder has forced him out of USMNT duty this month, opening the door for others to fill the void. Josh Sargent, Haji Wright, Ricardo Pepi, and Brandon Vazquez could all feature at the No. 9 position in upcoming matches against Panama and Mexico, with all four aiming to boost their stocks.
Sargent and Wright have been busy in the English Football League Championship while Pepi has fought for chances in the Dutch Eredivisie and UEFA Champions League. Vazquez has remained a regular for Liga MX club Monterrey again this season, jumping in and out of the starting lineup.
Here is a closer look at all four USMNT striking options and where they stand following Balogun’s injury:
Josh Sargent – Norwich City
Josh Sargent is back in the USMNT picture and looking to stay healthy and make the most of his opportunity.
Sargent has been reduced to only 30 minutes since the 2022 FIFA World Cup, despite scoring frequently at club level for Norwich City (24 goals since World Cup concluded). The Missouri native has also missed international opportunities through injuries, but heads into camp in good shape following a strong start to the EFL Championship season (four goals, three assists).
Sargent can do it all on the offensive end of the field; linking up with his teammates, creating space for shooting chances, and getting on the end of corner kicks and set pieces. He will certainly get his opportunity this window, especially with Pochettino aiming to look at every player over the next two matches.
Ricardo Pepi – PSV
Ricardo Pepi has been in and out of Peter Bosz’s lineup during the early stages of the Dutch Eredivisie season, but remains a key attacking threat for the USMNT.
The 21-year-old has scored three goals in 238 minutes this season for PSV, with two of those coming in a 2-0 league start against Willem II. Luuk De Jong’s presence has once again made it tough for Pepi to continuously crack Bosz’s starting lineup, but the former FC Dallas homegrown is fighting for opportunities.
Out of the four strikers in the October squad, Pepi has the most caps to his name despite not being part of the 2022 World Cup roster.
He will certainly get his chances against Panama and Mexico, with the latter being an emotional match for him.
Haji Wright – Coventry City
Haji Wright began his career as a striker and despite featuring more as a winger in the last two years, the 26-year-old could return to his old role under Pochettino.
Wright has remained a regular for Coventry City in England, scoring three goals this season to date. He delivered a sensational first season in the Championship last year, helping the Sky Blues finish in the top half of the league table and also reach the FA Cup Semifinals.
Whether Wright features this month at the No. 9 role or out wide remains to be seen, but his versatility should garner opportunities regardless.
Brandon Vazquez – Monterrey
Out of all four strikers in the October squad, Brandon Vazquez is certainly the most physical.
The 25-year-old has shown that physicality during the Liga MX season with Monterrey, scoring three goals to date this fall. A former FC Cincinnati standout, Vazquez hasn’t featured for the USMNT since 2023, earning his spot this month due to Balogun’s injury.
It seems unlikely that Vazquez starts against Panama or Mexico, but he does bring a threat off the bench, which could boost his chances for November involvement in the CONCACAF Nations League.
Who do you hope gets the most minutes out of these four strikers in October? Do you see anyone else forcing their way into the mix for November’s window? If Balogun is unable to recover soon, who is your No. 1 pick to start in the Nations League?
Share your thoughts below.
I’m going to make some predictions based on Pochettino’s usual 4-3-2-1 scheme and what he looks for in each position, and I’m curious to see how much of this shows up in this camp.
Players who will surprise and at least contend for spots in the 23: Brandon Vasquez, Alejandro Zendejas, Cade Cowell, Tanner Tessmann, Gianluco Busio, Aidan Morris, DuJuan Jones, Mark McKenzie, Jalen Neal, Zach Steffen, Alejandro Zendejas, Kevin Parades, and Patrick Schulte…and I think Steffen outright grabs a starting spot.
Very good-to-decent players who likely will not be Pochettino’s cup of tea and do not fit his system well but who MIGHT make the World Cup roster as a +1 in one of those 24th, 25th, or 26th slots: Ricardo Pepi, Giovanni Reyna, Tyler Adams, Miles Robinson, Lennard Maloney, Auston Trusty, Johnny Cardoso
Players who will likely just plain be out because they don’t fit what Poch does at all: Haji Wright, Tim Ream, Kristoffer Lund, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Ethan Horvath
Young players who could bear watching: Paxton Aaronson, Caleb Wiley, Brandan Craig, John Tolkin.
And for bonus points – Though it won’t be this camp, I think Balogun and Weah wind up #1 and #2 at LW, I think Pulisic moves to RW where he also plays for AC Milan, and Alejandro Zendejas wins the #2 RW spot.
We’ll see how smart I end up being.
quozzel,
“”Players who will surprise ”
Good work. but no real surprises.
It is way early yet but Pochettino been very clearly telegraphing what he wants to do to anyone who cares to listen.
And unlike Gregg, he has a much clearer track record that we can use as a rough guide.
Of course that is one thing and when the rubber actually meets the road that is another thing.
Nevertheless following along with Pochettino as he tries to build this thing is a lot more fun than the USMNT has been for a long time.
DRAMA IN LITTLE ITALY!!!!
AC MILAN VS FIORENTINA
2 players miss penalties and Craig Burley calls Pulisic’s mindset weak!!!
Pulisic is the designated penalty taker, was disrespected and his teammates (Abraham and Théo Hernandez, a Left Back!!!!) seemed displeased and “bullied” their way to take the kicks instead…….AND DAVID DE GEA SAVED BOTH!!!!! 😇
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wlQavIeOa0
Did Craig Burley just call out the soft mentality of US players…….that has been the issue lately with the USMNT mindset?
Burley is a blowhard and delights in disparaging anything to do with the USMNT or American players. A part of me wishes CP would have demanded at least the second one, but it probably would have made an already troubled team worse. I tend to agree more with Shaka’s take. I’m not worried about CP’s mindset one bit. The rest of the USMNT…up for debate.
Pulisic should get the least minutes. We know what he can do and he is in good form, so no need to use him in meaningless friendlies. I’d only bring him on after the 70th minute if it were up to me.
while true he has nothing to prove and is in great form, CP definitely needs to play as much as possible with the NT bc we have a new manager and not a lot of time together to implement, see it in real time and correct the tactics we would need to before the WC
One would have to say Sargent is in the best form of this striker group right now. He has been playing very well for Norwich City, but never got clear chances under Berhalter with untimely injuries. Panama is a physical team with a penchant for hacking and rough fouls, so maybe picking a more durable Pepi or Hagi Wright over Sargent might make sense for that match. Given these matches are really for evaluation purposes for MP, here’s hoping playing time is made available to all four strikers over the break.
PN,
“Panama is a physical team with a penchant for hacking and rough fouls,”
If Josh is injured then he should not play. But if he is fit, trying to avoid Panama’s “penchant, is the worst possible reason for sitting Sargent.
We’re going to meet a lot of teams with that same penchant if not worse. CONCACAF does not have a monopoly on scumbaggery. The Championship is full of teams that would use baseball bats to stop you if it was allowed. It is not so they come up with other methods.
The USMNT is a team with a deserved reputation as a bunch of soft wussies. Pochettino would probably like to get rid of that reputation.
What games like these need more than anything else is a competent referee. Sargent gets that in England. We usually do not see that in CONCAFAF. That is the difference.
yeah I’m with you Vacqui! This idea that we should considering sitting players against a certain opponents because they might get “ruffed” up gives more credence to this idea that our mentality is soft in general. If the players are fit, they need to be playing, and I can’t think of ONE player that would have this mentality especially considering there is an impetus to impress the new manager
PN,
“What games like these need more than anything else is a competent referee. Sargent gets that in England. We usually do not see that in CONCAFAF. That is the difference.”
You’re not wrong. However, the logical extension of your thinking is that we do not ever risk Pulisic in a CONCACAF game. I would be fine with that but I doubt anyone else would. Matt Besler agrees with you.
The USMNT always pulls that out as their top lame excuse for losing.
It’s an excuse now and it has always been an excuse. Twenty , thirty, forty years of this consistently shit officiating and we can’t figure out how to deal with it?
Part of being a top international team is being able to adjust to sketchy or corrupt officiating.
Pochettino is Argentinian. He ought to know how to deal with this kind of crap.