If you just looked at the stats for Josh Sargent, you’d be missing the full picture.
Prior to Tuesday’s game against Huddersfield, Sargent had not scored a goal since January. For a striker, that is obviously not ideal.
But that’s the thing: Sargent is a striker. And since January, the 22-year-old had not actually played striker.
With normal No. 9 Teemu Pukki injured on Tuesday, Norwich boss Dean Smith opted to give Sargent the spot at his preferred spot.
Playing striker for the first time since January, Sargent scored for the first time since January.
It was a complete performance for Sargent in a 2-1 win, the first of the Championship season for the Canaries. The American also played a role in his side’s second goal and drew a second-half red card after he was taken down from behind on a breakaway.
“Obviously, it’s been a while since I’ve scored and to be able to play in my favorite position, I felt it was a very good opportunity,” Sargent said in quotes published on The Athletic. “To get that goal was huge for me and also the team.”
One goal, of course, won’t be enough for Sargent, either at the club level or to get him back in the mix for the U.S. national team.
How Smith opts to utilize Sargent when Pukki is back healthy will be vital. If Sargent is shuffled out wide again, his potential to hit a run of goals will suffer, as will his national team chances.
The USMNT striker position is still highly unsettled with just a few months until the World Cup. If Sargent can get a run of games at forward and produce, a last-gasp run at a spot in Qatar isn’t yet out of the question.
“Nothing is settled yet,” Sargent said. “All I can do is do my best here, score as many goals as I can and hopefully put myself in a good position to get called up.”
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