Pochettino weighs striker options as race to lead USMNT World Cup attack intensifies

U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Mauricio Pochettino is facing a critical selection dilemma at striker as the World Cup approaches. Unlike his previous roles in club soccer, Pochettino cannot solve his roster issues through the transfer market, and with preliminary squads already finalized, the window for players to make an impression is rapidly closing.

Folarin Balogun, once considered the undisputed starter, is currently mired in a difficult season with Monaco. The striker has not found the back of the net in Ligue 1 since last November.

His primary competitor, Ricardo Pepi of PSV Eindhoven, recently saw a prolific scoring streak halted by an injury. The setback now threatens Pepi's availability for the team's final set of crucial friendly matches.

With the top-tier options struggling, Pochettino is looking to the English second division for potential solutions. Patrick Agyemang has emerged as a serious contender after netting seven goals in his last 13 appearances for Derby County.

Coventry City’s Haji Wright, the only forward in the current pool to have scored in a World Cup, also started the campaign in strong form. However, his momentum was stalled by a recent calf injury.

Pochettino has made it clear that no positions are guaranteed, forcing a high-stakes competition for a spot on the final 26-man roster.

The U.S. Men’s National Team is once again grappling with a familiar structural deficit: the absence of a reliable, world-class "No. 9." This persistent vacancy, a recurring theme since the Jozy Altidore era, underscores the fundamental divergence between club management and international stewardship. For Mauricio Pochettino, the transition represents a stark shift in strategic calculus. Whereas at Tottenham he could leverage the transfer market to resolve personnel shortfalls—famously replacing Roberto Soldado with Son Heung-min—his current mandate is restricted to a finite labor pool with no recourse for external acquisitions.

The current striker competition reflects two distinct development trajectories within the American player pool. On one side, Folarin Balogun and Ricardo Pepi are navigating the high-pressure environments of Europe’s elite tiers. On the other, players like Haji Wright and Patrick Agyemang are proving their utility in the high-volume, attritional landscape of the EFL Championship. Balogun’s situation presents a particularly complex management dilemma. Despite the significant sporting capital invested in securing his international commitment, his fluctuating club form forces Pochettino into a classic trade-off: prioritizing a player’s historical ceiling and national team pedigree versus their immediate match-day output.

Compounding these tactical hurdles is a growing medical crisis, as injuries to Pepi and Wright further thin the roster. As the World Cup cycle intensifies, the selection process is no longer just a meritocracy based on goal-scoring; it has become an exercise in managing physiological risk and the ticking clock of the international calendar.

While it may not have a direct impact on business trends or immigration pathways like the F2B or H-1B visa categories, the story of the U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team is finding a profound cultural connection with younger Vietnamese Americans. The rise of soccer as a mainstream American sport has captured the interest of many families, turning national matches into a shared experience—from the households of Little Saigon to the TVs in phở restaurants. Supporting the team has become a way to express a modern American identity. The squad’s diverse roster, with players hailing from all corners of the globe, mirrors the multicultural mosaic of the United States, fostering a natural bond for immigrant communities who see their own backgrounds reflected in the team’s identity.