Jeff CarlisleMar 17, 2025, 04:06 PM ET
- Jeff Carlisle covers MLS and the U.S. national team for ESPN FC.
United States striker Josh Sargent described his current run of form with club side Norwich City as a "flow state where everything is just happening for you," but admitted his lack of production at international level is on his mind ahead of this week's Concacaf Nations League finals at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
The U.S., looking to win the competition for the fourth straight time, is set to play Panama in Thursday's first semifinal, with the winner advancing to Sunday's final. The other semifinal features Canada and Mexico.
As for Sargent, he has a massive opportunity to make an impression on manager Mauricio Pochettino. The St. Louis area native underwent groin surgery last November, but has been in excellent form since the start of the new year, and at one point had scored eight times in eight matches. Overall he has scored 12 goals in 24 league appearances in the Championship.
Meanwhile, forwards Folarin Balogun of AS Monaco, and Ricardo Pepi of PSV Eindhoven are both out injured, leaving the inexperienced duo of Charlotte FC's Patrick Agyemang and the Vancouver Whitecaps' Brian White as the presumed backups.
Sargent has managed just five goals in 27 international appearances, a strike rate that he'll be hoping to improve on if the U.S. is to prevail.
"It's obviously going to be in the back of my head a little bit," Sargent said about his struggles with the USMNT. "But at the same time it's just been a weird run I think for a while now with injuries and whatnot and I've been very happy with the goals I've been able to score at the club level, but definitely want to produce the same stuff while on that national team.
"So I think this camp is another good opportunity for me and hopefully I can start doing that."
Sargent chalked up his recent stellar run with the Canaries to focusing on the small details that can put a forward in the right spot, rather than just on scoring goals.
"I think as long as I focus on those, everything seems to get in place for me to score, and I've been taking those opportunities, been feeling really good," he said. "But yeah, I think in these moments you don't want to overthink it too much. It's kind of a flow state where everything is just happening for you and yeah, at the moment it's going really well."
Sargent caught a bit of a break in terms of scheduling, as Norwich played last Friday instead of on a Saturday or Sunday. That should give him an extra day to get acclimated to the team's training base in the Los Angeles area, though Pochettino will still have just a couple of full sessions prior to Thursday.
"It's a very fast turnaround," he said. "Of course, guys are flying in different days, but I think the other teams have to deal with that as well. The staff here are amazing at getting us prepared. They're doing everything they can to help us with sleep and recovery, nutrition, and yeah, I think all of us know each other for the most part.
"All of us have already gelled together really well and just got to get right at it."
