USA World Cup Spotlight: Wright, Agyemang Fighting for Final Striker Spot?

The USA's striker situation for this summer's World Cup. If the topic sounds familiar, well, it was a major storyline back in 2022 as well. 

Four years ago, there were questions about who would emerge, who would take control of the opportunity, and who would score goals. Former coach Gregg Berhalter brought Josh Sargent, Haji Wright and Jesus Ferreira to Qatar. Only Wright scored in the USA's final match – an accidental goal in the 76th minute of the round of 16 loss to Netherlands, but it was a goal nonetheless.

Now, it’s Mauricio Pochettino’s turn to figure out who will give the Americans the best chance up top. The U.S. manager is likely to also bring three strikers to the World Cup. Folarin Balogun seems to be the No. 1 option. Ricardo Pepi, despite working his way back from injury, also seems poised to be in the team.

So where does that leave the rest of the competition? In the English Championship.

Patrick Agyemang is fighting for a World Cup spot. (Photo by Paul Bonser/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Patrick Agyemang has been consistently improving his game in England's second division. Last summer, the 6-foot-4 striker left Major League Soccer's Charlotte FC for Derby County, and his performance has commanded attention from Pochettino and his staff. Over the weekend, Agyemang scored on a header in the second half of a 2-0 win over Swansea City. He is tied to lead the club with 10 goals this season, and has scored four in the last six games. 

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Agyemang hasn’t been with the U.S. in quite some time, however. He was last called up in October, but didn’t play in either match. His last appearance for the squad was when he started in the Gold Cup final vs. Mexico in July. 

Agyemang is in a strong position to make his first World Cup squad, but another Championship striker is also making his case. Wright has 13 goals for Coventry City – he scored a hat trick in a 3-1 win over Middlesbrough on Monday, which put the team at the top of the table (which would Coventry reach the Premier League). This kind of performance was huge for Wright, who had been experiencing a bit of a scoring drought. Entering Monday, he had only scored two goals in his last 19 league games. 

That has to bode well for him ahead of the March window, which will be a crucial period in determining who Pochettino is seriously considering for his World Cup roster. 

Josh Sargent is a longshot at this point to reach the World Cup. (Photo by David Watts/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

And what about Sargent? He hasn’t scored for the national team in six years and wasn’t called up last fall for the October or November camps. His club saga isn’t helping his standing. Sargent was once upon a time a scoring machine for Norwich City. But he wants a transfer to MLS and since nothing has materialized yet, he’s been demoted to the under-21 squad and hasn’t suited up for the senior team since early January. For things to work out for Sargent this summer, he’ll need to start playing and scoring again ASAP.

The World Cup roster is expected to be released in May. But Pochettino said the tournament essentially starts in March. The clock is ticking for everyone, but perhaps the most scrutiny lies within the striker pool.