This article is the latest in our My Game In My Words 2024 series. Click here to find all the articles in the series.
Tucked away in the analysis room at Norwich City’s training ground, Josh Sargent is hungry.
In every sense. The U.S. men’s national team striker has just finished a training session and is yet to have his lunch.
But there is also a glint in his eye. Sargent’s brief Premier League experience still fuels his fire. There is excitement too. We sit down 48 hours after Sargent was called up to the first camp under newly appointed USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino, ahead of a home World Cup in 2026.
“I don’t want to give away my secrets,” smiles the 24-year-old striker.
With that, The Athletic sit down with Sargent and a bundle of clips, to discuss his game in his own words.
“Oh,” Josh Sargent interrupts. “Play that again.”
We are running through his World Cup 2022 involvement, where he started two of the three group games.
In the 44th minute of the 1-0 win over Iran. Sargent led a break that got the Americans into the penalty box, but no shot followed.
“I wonder if I should’ve passed to Christian (Pulisic)… Oh my god, I could have. Keep going. Just slowly…”
Sargent’s rise through the U.S. setup brought 35 goals in 56 youth caps, including becoming the nation’s youngest goalscorer at an Under-20 World Cup, and he emerged onto the senior stage six years ago.
The trajectory tricks you into thinking Sargent is older than his age of 24.
As for this particular clip’s story, Tyler Adams won the ball in midfield with Sargent peeling off for a right-channel run…
…and advanced the ball to the edge of Iran’s 18-yard box. This is the point when he interrupts, wondering if Pulisic on his left was a better option than Tim Weah’s overlap to his right.
“If he was a bit closer, higher up here, it would’ve made it easier,” concludes Sargent. “OK, I’m fine.”
It’s interesting that Sargent is less bothered about the quality of Weah’s return pass.
Had it been better, Sargent may have scored his first senior goal at a major finals.
That is an insight into Sargent’s mindset: a player with strict focus on his own decisions and mentality.
The word ‘confidence’ comes up regularly — from discussing his initial journey across the Atlantic to Germany’s Werder Bremen as a 17-year-old, to successive relegations following his Premier League debut with Norwich in 2021-22, and on to a more stable current phase in his still-young career.
Stable because Sargent is finally a trusted striker in his own right.
“Coaches have used me in different ways, but it’s also been different situations,” he says. “In Germany, I was a young kid and pretty happy whatever position I played. But fighting Bundesliga relegation, it was tough going back and forth between striker and right-winger; sometimes in the 10 (position).
“Coming to Norwich, Daniel Farke (their manager at the time) explained he saw me as a striker that could also play on the wing. Again, bottom of the Premier League, tough season… There were a lot of minutes on the wing and that’s not my most comfortable position.
“Under (Farke’s successor) Dean Smith, it was the same, but I started to get a bit more confidence. Then David Wagner came in and said, ‘I just see you as a striker, you’re not going to play on the wing’. That was the first time in my professional career someone said, ‘You’re a striker’. I was like, ‘Finally!’”
There had been stiff striker competition at Norwich too, until Finland’s all-time goalscorer Teemu Pukki moved to MLS side Minnesota United in summer 2023.
“Last season was my first where I saw myself as a prominent No 9 with Teemu not being here,” adds Sargent. “I could fill that role and have more confidence. I feel I’m becoming more of a leader on this team, having a good role offensively and defensively.”
Norwich’s current head coach, Johannes Hoff Thorup, sees it the same way.
Thorup tells The Athletic: “What you don’t talk much about strikers is their defensive discipline, and he’s fantastic for us. He’s really analytical, so it’s easy for me to communicate with him, adjust small things and he can get it to the other players.
“He’s a central character in the way we want to play, because of his strengths and his personality.”
Hard work and pressing. Bremen liked it, Thorup loves it, and Sargent will hope Pochettino wants it too.
Some of it has been the role handed to him, including during those three years in Germany. Some of it is in his football fabric.
“The pressing wasn’t too tactical in the States; more physical,” says Sargent of his formative years. “I’m a very hard-working guy. You’re not going to find every striker presses like me.
“I like putting teams on their back foot and I’m pretty smart when it comes to pressing: when to do it and when to sit in. With how I am, then being in Germany — how tactical they are and precise you need to be — it definitely helped.”
The physical pressing was exemplified by this moment against Watford, early in his 2021-22 Premier League season as Brandon Williams overran the ball while attacking the penalty box.
Not only did Sargent react to the loss of possession. He had the physicality to cover the ground, win back the ball…
…and then the composure to find Pukki…
…whose first-time shot flew over the crossbar.
As for tactical pressing, even a simple clip comes with plenty of context — such as this moment in Norwich’s Championship fixture away against Sheffield Wednesday last season.
The pass back to Wednesday’s centre-back was a trigger for Sargent to press, hoping he wouldn’t do it alone. It continued on to the goalkeeper…
…and Sargent curved his run to force the central pass, which ended nearest the feet of Marcelino Nunez.
Borja Sainz was eventually played in by Nunez to give Norwich a 2-0 lead.
“It’s different for every team you play,” says Sargent. “But in general, the front line is that first line of defence where you set the tempo. If everybody behind you sees you going, they’re going to come behind you and press.
“We have certain triggers. If the left-back has it and passes it back, that’s a trigger for us to go — a bouncy pass going backwards, the defender having to run backwards. Some managers like when the wingers press first, I stay deeper on the No 6 and we force the ball to one side — or prefer that I go first and force it to another side.
“You can see when we put them under pressure, I’m going on my own but everybody creeps up and you get a good situation out of it. Doing that as much as possible in a game helps us.
“But the team needs to understand, whoever it is on that front line, without question, you have to go with them because if just one person is off, it opens up passing lanes for the other team and… I’d better not cuss… It’s not going to go well.”
Another case came from Sargent on USMNT duty at this summer’s Copa America against Uruguay.
Sargent curved his press on the centre-back…
…but it initially looked like the defender had escaped his attention…
…yet Sargent sustained the pressure and forced a high turnover.
“It’s not going to come off the way you think every time,” Sargent says, “but as long as I’m forcing defenders to make a decision quicker than they want… It makes them chaotic and can lead them to turning over the ball.”
All of this needs two elements: good fitness and a strong mentality. Coaches have noted Sargent’s stamina but there have been injury issues, primarily with his ankle at Norwich. He is now focused on strength and conditioning work that will prove he is through those issues.
Then there is the “mental guy”.
“In Germany, after fighting relegation in my first year and getting relegated in my second, it was pretty harsh and I didn’t have the most confidence,” says Sargent. “I’m still young but I was very young at that time and struggling. Me and my agency felt it was one area we could get better with, so they helped me find a guy. He’s back in the States but available every day for me to call and we’ve developed a very good relationship.
“We have little goals going into each game and we’ll talk about it after — whether I completed those and which situations I could’ve done better with.
“He understands football really well. I tell him what I want to work on and that’s when we come up with a plan: how many times I want to make runs in behind, get shots off or get into certain areas.
“If I meet those metrics, it will put me in good situations to get goals. So instead of just going into a game saying I want to score — that’s pretty obvious — (it’s more) ‘What are the things that will get me into the positions to score more goals?’”
(Stephen Pond/Getty Images)
When you realise which player inspired Sargent’s formative years, his game makes sense.
That player? Wayne Rooney.
“I was like, ‘Oh, he’s awesome!’” Sargent tells The Athletic. “I just loved watching him. I wasn’t too into watching football as a kid. It was boring at times. But when I watched him, I really enjoyed it.”
Among our clips are a group where Sargent picks up possession in either channel, powerfully carries the ball beyond opposition attention and either shoots or creates a chance.
This effort against Preston in 2022-23 was one.
Sargent described himself as a “diverse No 9” — a summary backed by his game’s evolution and the runs he makes.
As shown with Sargent’s defensive actions over the past two seasons, the area and volume of his involvement have narrowed as his role became more defined.
“Any time I can stay higher and don’t have to run as far back, I’m happy,” smiles Sargent as he looks over the graphics, and then his recent assist against Blackburn.
“Obviously, there’s a time and place to drive like that. I’m not going to run aimlessly or into pressure. But especially towards the end of games, you see guys (on the other team) get tired. It’s easy to think, ‘Let’s keep it tight.’ But if you can drive at them when they’re tired… It won’t always work and I don’t always have the energy, but when I do, I like to take advantage of it.
“It’s something I’ve talked about with my mental guy: If you think you’re tired, just think how the other guys feel. You can use that to your benefit.”
Driving forward with the ball involves picking it up deeper. Those moments are a regular occurrence with Sargent, and explain why his toughest opponent is not a centre-back but Italy midfielder Marco Verratti — who he faced for an hour during a 1-0 friendly defeat in 2018.
Sargent’s driving runs are also a key part of his ability to create chances. He is swift to flag his three assists in nine Championship games this season — already more than the two he got in all of the previous one.
A disclaimer here. This conversation started with his opening assist in Norwich’s Championship win at Derby, where the ball went out of play as Sargent crossed for Sainz’s opening goal.
“I knew it was going to be tight,” says Sargent. “Clearly it was a mistake from the officials, but that’s on them. We’d be frustrated if that happened to us, but you just play until the whistle.”
As for his second assist in that game…
“I was talking to Johannes (Thorup) after,” says Sargent. “As a striker, you’ve not scored in a while, Borja has two goals in the game… It’d be easy to shoot here, but this was the right decision.
“I saw the defender coming, saw the guy in the middle (Sainz) and it’s a great pass with the outside of the foot.”
Chance creation in Sargent’s early years was most likely a short carry, picking up a loose ball, taking a moment and rolling a pass to a team-mate running into space for a first-time shot.
Things have evolved since, as this link-up at Preston in early 2023 showed, with Sargent dropping into midfield before playing the perfect pass for Pukki’s run. Kieran Dowell completed the move with a tap-in.
“I like dropping deep and getting on the ball,” says Sargent. “I knew I had time because I checked my shoulder. When you have the ball at your feet like that, you expect a couple of people to make a run to you to receive, and a couple to go in behind.
“Teemu was known for making runs in behind. My movement was never bad but that was Teemu’s strongest suit and one area I really wanted to get better. Seeing how successful he was, it definitely put it into the front of my mind to make more of those runs.
“There are times we’ll see clips after a game and I won’t even know in that situation that I scanned, but then I see it on video and see that I am scanning. It’s second nature now.”
No striker escapes the judgement of their goalscoring record.
For Sargent, it built his free-scoring reputation through the U.S. youth ranks. At the 2017 Under-20 World Cup, he made history and went on to score one of his favourite goals, in a 1-0 defeat of Senegal.
“Big game. Good awareness to turn and finish like that,” says Sargent. “It’s all in a millisecond. When you take that first touch, you turn right and see where the ’keeper is. But in general, you know where they’ll be. So you either hit it inside of the foot to the far post, or whip it across the first post.
“I’m right-footed but comfortable with my left. I’m pretty comfortable shooting from every spot in the box.”
Still, finishing is where Sargent targets the majority of his training.
Across his four seasons at Norwich, Sargent has been getting into better, more sustainable areas to score: closer to goal and with a higher average shot quality.
This was especially impressive last season, when Sargent’s shot volume was higher and he was the Championship’s most prolific goalscorer.
He has started 2024-25 well too. No player in England’s second tier has more goals this calendar year than his 17.
Part of his improvement is shown by his first and most recognised goal in England. It is also his favourite football memory.
“Scoring my first Prem goal with a scorpion kick,” smiles Sargent of his opening goal in a 3-0 win at relegation rivals Watford, in the winter of the 2021-22 top-flight campaign.
But before we get to that goal, Sargent’s dissection of one he scored at Coventry 18 months ago — which you can watch below — proved to be useful context.
“Holding my space is another thing I talked about with my mental guy,” says Sargent. “A couple of seasons ago, maybe I wanted to score so bad I was getting to the positions too early and the ball was a bit behind me. If I can hold my run, I can always then attack that space. If you go too early, it’s too late.
“At Coventry, it was a great ball by Teemu. For sure, he’s playing it blind, but it’s one of the spots you expect someone to be: first post, second post and then penalty spot.
“As for the scorpion kick, it’s just a reaction. It was good to do it because it was a pretty cool goal. But maybe it’s an example of being too early and not holding my run, which is why I had to do anything to get a touch.”
Once again, it was Pukki who provided the cross, with Sargent starting his run the moment his team-mate faced infield with the ball.
It meant by the time Pukki’s cross had reached the near post, Sargent was already ahead of the ball. That led to the contorted attempt at getting a shot on goal.
“Now I try to read the body language from the crosser. Certain guys cross as soon as possible, others take touch, touch, touch, touch and then cross,” says Sargent. “It’s just talking to yourself. Saying things like, ‘Don’t sprint, don’t take yourself out of a good scoring situation, hold your run’, and then you can always attack onto the ball.
(Charlotte Wilson/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)
“Hopefully I do it enough in training, I don’t have to think too much about it when I get on the pitch. But, yeah, sometimes I have to remind myself to wait, wait, wait and then go.”
Sargent’s second goal that winter night in Watford was an example of him getting it right. But timing runs can be easier to practise than heading the ball.
“I’m athletic, I can jump pretty high, I’m a bigger guy, so I’m expected to be good with my head,” says Sargent. “I feel I’m pretty good at it… But I don’t want to end up with a concussion from too many headed balls. I mean, it’s a serious thing! We don’t train it all the time but there’s once in a while where we will.
“Most of the time, it just has to be instinctive. You just have to be good at it.”
The combination of a first-post run and header almost made dreams a reality for Sargent in Qatar.
Inside 10 minutes of his 2022 World Cup starting in the group opener against Wales, he darted to read Antonee Robinson’s cross.
“It’s up to him where he puts the ball, but he has to trust we’re gonna be in the right spots,” says Sargent. “It was a tough angle. I thought I’d scored for a second.”
Sargent glowed at reliving his World Cup debut but in general, USMNT talk did not come easy during our conversation. Asked how his role under former national boss Gregg Berhalter differed from what he does at Norwich, his body language and pause screamed, ‘Next question, please’.
“A lot of it for Gregg was making sure you came to the ball and link up with the team,” says Sargent. “If I wasn’t getting the ball, then I was creating space for others.
“The World Cup was the coolest thing you can experience in football. You dream of situations like that, but it’s surreal when you get there and you’re playing in the games.
“We have a new manager now, so we’ll see what that role will be. I haven’t spoken to Pochettino yet but I’m very excited to see what he has to offer. I’m just going to go in there with an open mind, see what he wants us to do and do the best I can like I always do.
GO DEEPER
Pochettino’s tactics: How he can energise the USMNT ahead of the 2026 World Cup
“But it was amazing news. He’s a big manager and anybody would be happy to work with him.”
(David S Bustamante/Soccrates/Getty Images)
With the clips and chat done, Sargent turns his thoughts to lunch.
Sitting in his Norwich training shorts, his left thigh carries a tattoo with the phrase: life begins at the end of your comfort zone.
From a family who told him 13 was their lucky number, Sargent picked it to wear on what proved his goalscoring USMNT debut against Bolivia six years ago.
Now the striker hopes to convince Pochettino he has a big role to play for the next World Cup’s co-hosts.
The My Game In My Words series is part of a partnership with EA Sports. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.
(Top photos: Getty Images; design: Eamonn Dalton)
