The U.S. men's national team will be hoping to hold their own as a starting striker ahead of this summer's most important tournament at the Copa America on home soil.
The USMNT is expected to go far in the upcoming tournament with Gregg Berhalter in charge of the Stars and Stripes. Although the US midfield and defense have improved over the years, many players have found it difficult to make the center of the midfield partner with Christian Pulisic and Tim Weah in attack.
Even though Weah and Pulisic have been involved in most of the goals up front for the USMNT, Berhalter's side will not be able to go as far as they would like in the Copa America without an out-and-out striker to lead the line. . Berhalter himself has struggled to stick with one striker since he was first drafted 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 throwing FC Dallas talisman Jesus Ferreira into the lineup in the US's 3-1 Round of 16 loss to the Netherlands.
While the bulk of the players on the Striker Search list will be players currently based in Europe, don't be surprised to see a few Major League Soccer strikers who may cross the pond in the near future.
USMNT Strikers:
Shockwaves were sent through the world of international soccer when Folarin Balogun decided to make the only FIFA-sanctioned transfer from England to the USMNT last spring.
The former Arsenal man has yet to find the same form that saw him score 22 goals at Stade de Reims in 2022/2023, but he still has seven goals and four assists in Ligue 1 this season and is likely to be the favorite to start. forward on June 27 against Panama.
In just 10 games in the US, Balogun has scored three goals which included a crucial strike in the 2023 CONCACAF Nations League final victory over Canada.
Ricardo Pepi is another well-known USMNT striker who is not too far behind Balogun when it comes to scoring forwards.
Pepi made the most of his limited minutes in his first season with Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven, recording seven goals and two assists in just one start — 416 minutes played in 25 games.
The 21-year-old has been effective in the US when given the opportunity as he has scored 10 goals in 23 games.
Josh Sargent's performance with Norwich City in the EFL Championship may be overlooked from time to time as it is not the Premier League's most glamorous side, but the former Werder Bremen player has enjoyed a career season with the Canaries.
The 24-year-old scored the most goals in a single season with 16 goals in the Championship this term, which was good enough for him to be involved in the fifth-most goals scored in the division.
With 23 appearances to his name at international level for the USMNT, Sargent has managed five goals since making his debut in May 2018.
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