'Folarin Balogun is there' – Brad Friedel gives verdict on USMNT striker options for 2026 World Cup as Haji Wright & Ricardo Pepi told they must do more

Mauricio Pochettino faces plenty of selection posers ahead of the 2026 World Cup, with the USMNT looking to piece together a squad that can be competitive on the grandest of stages. They will need plenty of firepower in order to make that possible, with Brad Friedel discussing a striker pool that includes Folarin Balogun, Haji Wright, Ricardo Pepi and Josh Sargent during an exclusive interview with GOAL.

Talent pool: Striking options at Pochettino's disposal

Pochettino has shuffled his pack across a series of friendly fixtures, allowing him to take a look at as many hopefuls as possible. Some of those have staked more serious claims than others, while form and fitness issues also have to be factored into any equation.

The United States do, however, have a number of proven goalscorers at their disposal. Many of those are plying their trade in Europe – with Balogun and Pepi on the books of French and Dutch giants at Monaco and PSV respectively. Elsewhere, the likes of Wright, Sargent, Daryl Dike and Patrick Agyemang are all turning out in the English Championship.

AdvertisementGettyWho will make the USMNT squad for 2026 World Cup?

Quizzed on whether only one of those will join Balogun and Pepi in Pochettino’s plans, ex-USMNT star Friedel – speaking in association with – told GOAL: “It could be two. When Mauricio came in he knew the players, but he has this incredible ability to say: ‘Show me from now and forward what you can do for me – not what you did two years ago. I know what you did two years ago, I know what you’re capable of, but it’s what’s happening now’.

“I think he has a depth chart for sure, that’s how he works. None of those names are for sure – who you and I might think are there. We can think Balogun and Pepi might be there, but one of those guys might be really far down the final chart for reasons that we don’t know. I think Balogun is there – that’s my thinking – but I don’t know if Pepi is a certainty. He could be there, he has every chance.

“Haji Wright’s performances at Coventry have been really good. But when Haji is in, he doesn’t start all the time with Mauricio, so that suggests to me there is something there that he is not fully convinced about.

“With Mauricio it’s different. You can never just relax. He’s a compassionate man and you can relax around him, but you never really know. I suppose Harry Kane knew at Tottenham. [Lionel] Messi, Neymar and [Kylian] Mbappe probably knew at PSG. I would say that zero players knew at Southampton that they were starting on a day-to-day basis. Your name has to be something quite special to make sure that you are a certainty.”

Transfer regret: Should Sargent have left Norwich?

Sargent appeared to have positioned himself towards the front of the queue at one stage, having posted personal bests on the goal front at Norwich, but the Canaries are enduring a tough 2025-26 campaign and their leading marksman has gone 14 games without finding the target.

The 25-year-old attracted Premier League interest over the summer, but did not push for a move while being tied to a contract at Carrow Road through to 2028. Asked whether Sargent will now be regretting that decision, Friedel said: “Maybe. It might not have been down to him, but I think that would have helped. The more that you can perform at the highest level, the better.

“Maybe one of the things was that if he went to the Premier League and then didn’t perform as well, then you can see that argument. It may have been out of his hands. I don’t know the full reason why a deal didn’t transpire. Maybe the teams offered him a low contract, thinking that just because it’s a Prem club he will come.

“Josh knows now the league, the teams and knows where he feels he can play. He could play at a handful of Premier League clubs with his talent. There are a handful that he couldn’t play at, but there are some that he could.”

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Getty Images SportWorld Cup draw: USMNT to discover group stage opponents

Sargent is likely to generate more transfer talk in the January window. He will know by then who the USMNT are preparing to face in the group stage of the 2026 World Cup, with that draw set to take place at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC on December 5.