{"id":25293,"date":"2025-08-15T11:19:58","date_gmt":"2025-08-15T15:19:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alofokedeportes.com\/en\/sin-categoria\/usmnt-sargent-seeks-goal-with-pochettino-heading-to-the-2026-world-cup\/"},"modified":"2025-08-15T11:19:58","modified_gmt":"2025-08-15T15:19:58","slug":"usmnt-sargent-seeks-goal-with-pochettino-heading-to-the-2026-world-cup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alofokedeportes.com\/en\/soccer\/usmnt-sargent-seeks-goal-with-pochettino-heading-to-the-2026-world-cup\/","title":{"rendered":"USMNT: Sargent Seeks Goal with Pochettino Heading to the 2026 World Cup"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

USMNT’s Countdown to the World Cup<\/h2>\n\n\nThe European football season is already underway. With the start of the English Championship and the 2. Bundesliga, the Premier League, LaLiga and Ligue 1 joined this weekend. Serie A and Bundesliga will start next week.\n\nThis means that the players of the United States men’s national soccer team (USMNT) will begin to accumulate minutes with their respective clubs, if they haven’t already, while their teammates in MLS are in the middle of the 2025 season.\n\nAlofoke Deportes will monitor the progress of these players throughout the season, offering weekly analysis of those players who stand out for their form or physical condition, as well as updates on the USMNT player pool.\n\nWe will count down the days until June 11th, so that when the list of those called up for the World Cup is announced, no name will be a surprise.\n\nWelcome to the USMNT World Cup Countdown! Only 301 days left.\n\n

Key Players Analysis<\/h2>\n\nSergi\u00f1o Dest | Right-back | PSV Eindhoven<\/strong>\n\nMinutes 2025-26: 172\n\nFotMob Rating 2025-26: 8.2\n\nDest has had a spectacular start to the season at PSV, scoring the winning goal in the Dutch Super Cup against Go Ahead Eagles and scoring again in the 6-1 victory over Sparta Rotterdam. His return to form is excellent news for USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino, who has yet to see Dest in action after his anterior cruciate ligament injury a year ago.\n\nDest’s ability to generate unexpected plays from the right wing has been key in the team’s attack, and his injury limited the offensive options, giving rivals more freedom to mark players like Christian Pulisic. Dest’s return to the USMNT in September is expected to be a significant boost.\n\nJosh Sargent | Forward | Norwich City<\/strong>\n\nMinutes 2025-26: 152\n\nFotMob Rating 2025-26: 7.2\n\nThe difference between Sargent’s performance at his club and his performance with the USMNT became evident this weekend. In Norwich City’s 2-1 loss against Millwall, Sargent scored his team’s only goal with his back, following a failed clearance attempt by Millwall goalkeeper Steven Benda.\n\nWith the USMNT, Sargent hasn’t scored in over five years. If he wants to regain Pochettino’s trust, he will need to keep performing with Norwich. This, unless he moves to another club during the summer transfer window.\n\n\n

Matt Turner | Goalkeeper | New England Revolution<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\nMinutes 2025: 90\n\nFotMob Rating 2025: 8.2\n\nTurner has already achieved his main objective in this transfer period, which was to find a club where he was guaranteed a starting position. After his time at Crystal Palace, where he only played four games, none in the league, Turner returned to New England and had a perfect start, with three saves in the 2-0 victory over D.C. United.\n\nThis doesn’t mean Turner is guaranteed a starting spot in the USMNT. Zack Steffen of the Colorado Rapids is having an excellent season, as is Matt Freese of New York City FC, who gained experience in the Gold Cup. However, Turner’s World Cup experience gives him an advantage.\n\nThe next nine months will be an exciting competition between three goalkeepers for the World Cup.\n\n\n

Possible Starting Eleven<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Who would make up Pochettino’s starting eleven if the World Cup started tomorrow? This week, we try to predict the starting lineup based on performance and physical condition.<\/p>\n\n\nInjuries are a constant factor in the national team’s lineups, and this time it’s no different. The left-back position is problematic. Fulham coach Marco Silva said Antonee Robinson is not fit to start the Premier League season after minor knee surgery. Watford’s Caleb Wiley is also injured, so he is unavailable. This leaves Max Arfsten of Columbus Crew as an option.\n\nArfsten’s performance in the Gold Cup was irregular, especially in defense. However, his off-the-ball play improved during the tournament, and although John Tolkin, from Holstein Kiel, was also an option, Arfsten is the choice based on Pochettino’s preference for his contribution to the attack.\n\nOffensive midfield positions are also affected by injuries, with Pulisic and Tillman out of action. The inclusion of Alejandro Zendejas, from Am\u00e9rica, could surprise some, considering he was not on the initial Big Board 1.0 list. But, based on his current form, Zendejas is the choice, as he has performed outstandingly for Am\u00e9rica throughout the year.\n\nThe big question is: Does Pochettino really value him? The September window will reveal it.\n\nDiego Luna is the choice for the center of the field. Although he was sent off in the 2-1 defeat against the New York Red Bulls for two yellow cards, he seemed more like a victim than an aggressor in the play that earned him the second caution. He also provided a key pass for RSL’s only goal. With other players injured, Luna is the choice, although he will have to keep calm, as he will surely receive more fouls.\n\nThe rest of the team is made up of familiar names this week, but the weekend could bring many changes.\n\n\n

Big Board 1.0 Update<\/h2>\n\n\nThis week, Alofoke Deportes’ Big Board 1.0 was published, and each Big Board will provide the basis for weekly player updates. Below are the minutes and ratings of the 35 players.\n\nMatt Turner, goalkeeper, New England Revolution: 90 minutes in 2025; 8.2 FotMob rating in 2025.\n\nMatt Freese, goalkeeper, New York City FC: 2,160 minutes in 2025; 7.1 FotMob rating in 2025.\n\nZack Steffen, goalkeeper, Colorado Rapids: 1,710 minutes in 2025; 7.2 FotMob rating in 2025.\n\nPatrick Schulte, goalkeeper, Columbus Crew: 1,890 minutes in 2025; 6.7 FotMob rating in 2025.\n\nChris Richards, center-back, Crystal Palace: 90 minutes in 2025-26; 6.4 FotMob rating in 2025-26.\n\nTim Ream, center-back, Charlotte FC: 1,712 minutes in 2025; 6.6 FotMob rating in 2025.\n\nMark McKenzie, central defender, Toulouse: 0 minutes in 2025-26; 0.0 FotMob rating in 2025-26.\n\nCameron Carter-Vickers, center-back, Celtic: 180 minutes in 2025-26; 7.7 FotMob rating in 2025-26.\n\nMiles Robinson, center back, FC Cincinnati: 2,180 minutes in 2025; 6.9 FotMob rating in 2025.\n\nAuston Trusty, center-back, Celtic: 48 minutes in 2025-26; 6.4 FotMob rating in 2025-26.\n\nSergi\u00f1o Dest, full-back, PSV Eindhoven: 172 minutes in 2025-26; 8.2 FotMob rating in 2025-26.\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\nAntonee Robinson, fullback, Fulham: 0 minutes in 2025-26; 0.0 FotMob rating in 2025-26.\n\nJoe Scally, full-back, Borussia M\u00f6nchengladbach: 0 minutes in 2025-26; 0.0 FotMob rating in 2025-26.\n\nCaleb Wiley, full-back, Watford: 0 minutes in 2025-26; 0.0 FotMob rating in 2025-26.\n\nMax Arfsten, full-back, Columbus Crew: 2,150 minutes in 2025; 7.6 FotMob rating in 2025.\n\nAlex Freeman, fullback, Orlando City SC: 2,275 minutes in 2025; 7.5 FotMob rating in 2025.\n\nTyler Adams, midfielder, AFC Bournemouth: 0 minutes in 2025-26; 0.0 FotMob rating in 2025-26.\n\nWeston McKennie, midfielder, Juventus: 0 minutes in 2025-26; 0.0 FotMob rating in 2025-26.\n\nJohnny Cardoso, midfielder, Atl\u00e9tico Madrid: 0 minutes in 2025-26; 0.0 FotMob rating in 2025-26.\n\nLuca de la Torre, midfielder, San Diego FC: 1,950 minutes in 2025; 6.9 FotMob rating in 2025.\n\nTanner Tessmann, midfielder, Lyon: 0 minutes in 2025-26; 0.0 FotMob rating in 2025-26.\n\nYunus Musah, midfielder, AC Milan: 0 minutes in 2025-26; 0.0 FotMob rating in 2025-26.\n\nSebastian Berhalter, midfielder, Vancouver Whitecaps: 2,290 minutes in 2025; 7.4 FotMob rating in 2025.\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\nChristian Pulisic, forward, AC Milan: 0 minutes in 2025-26; 0.0 FotMob rating in 2025-26.\n\nTimothy Weah, forward, Marseille: 0 minutes in 2025-26; 0.0 FotMob rating in 2025-26.\n\nMalik Tillman, forward, Bayer Leverkusen: 0 minutes in 2025-26; 0.0 FotMob rating in 2025-26.\n\nDiego Luna, attacker, Real Salt Lake: 2,005 minutes in 2025; 7.2 FotMob rating in 2025.\n\nAlejandro Zendejas, forward, Am\u00e9rica: 200 minutes in 2025-26; 7.3 FotMob rating in 2025-26.\n\nGiovanni Reyna, attacker, Borussia Dortmund: 0 minutes in 2025-26; 0.0 FotMob rating in 2025-26.\n\nFolarin Balogun, forward, AS Monaco: 0 minutes in 2025-26; 0.0 FotMob rating in 2025-26.\n\nRicardo Pepi, forward, PSV Eindhoven: 28 minutes in 2025-26; 6.0 FotMob rating in 2025-26.\n\nJosh Sargent, forward, Norwich City: 152 minutes in 2025-26; 7.2 FotMob rating in 2025-26.\n\nPatrick Agyemang, forward, Derby County: 0 minutes in 2025-26; 0.0 FotMob rating in 2025-26.\n\nHaji Wright, forward, Coventry City: 86 minutes in 2025-26; 6.6 FotMob rating in 2025-26.\n\nDamion Downs, forward, Southampton: 93 minutes in 2025-26; 7.1 FotMob rating in 2025-26.","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

USMNT’s Countdown to the World Cup The European football season is already underway. With the start of the English Championship and the 2. Bundesliga, the Premier League, LaLiga and Ligue 1 joined this weekend. Serie A and Bundesliga will start next week. This means that the players of the United States men’s national soccer team […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":25294,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[7317,3595,2075,522],"class_list":{"0":"post-25293","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-soccer","8":"tag-sergeant","9":"tag-sergino-dest","10":"tag-usmnt","11":"tag-world-cup"},"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alofokedeportes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25293","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alofokedeportes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alofokedeportes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alofokedeportes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alofokedeportes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25293"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alofokedeportes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25293\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alofokedeportes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25294"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alofokedeportes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25293"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alofokedeportes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25293"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alofokedeportes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25293"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}