USMNT’s Josh Sargent set for MLS move in bid to make USA soccer’s World Cup roster
The player reportedly declared himself unavailable for an FA Cup tie in January via a text to manager Philippe Clement
By
Chuck Booth
Feb 20, 2026
at
3:23 pm ET
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2 min read
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Toronto FC have finally worked out an agreement to bring American striker Josh Sargent to MLS from Norwich City, according to The Athletic. It has been a roundabout process, but the fee is around $22 million, which is one of the highest in MLS history and would mark a record purchase for Toronto. Despite being from Missouri, Sargent has never played in MLS, but the move back to North America comes at a time when the 25-year-old is settling down to raise his family.
It was a strange departure from Norwich City as Sargent reportedly declared himself unavailable for an FA Cup tie in January via a text to manager Philippe Clement, and he has been banished to the U-23’s since. In 156 appearances for Norwich City, Sargent has scored 56 goals between the Premier League and the Championship, but despite revealed interest from Wolfsburg during the summer, according to The Athletic, the move to North America is what made the most sense.
Sargent has fallen down the pecking order for the United States men’s national team as he looks to make the squad for a second consecutive World Cup. He hasn’t been called into camp since September of 2025, when he started against South Korea before being benched against Japan, which started the USMNT’s current five-match unbeaten streak. Manager Mauricio Pochettino has stated multiple times that the door isn’t closed for players, so if Sargent comes into Toronto and starts scoring, there could be a window to make the World Cup, but with Patrick Agyemang, Haji Wright, and Folarin Balogun all performing well at their clubs and Ricardo Pepi coming back from injury, it will be hard to break back into the USMNT rotation.
The first priority is getting back to fitness, as Sargent hasn’t played first-team soccer since January, but coming to a Toronto team that also hasn’t played competitive matches since the MLS season ended in October of 2025, Sargent won’t be that far off the pace of his teammates. Toronto finished 12th in the Eastern Conference last season, missing the playoffs and averaging less than a point per game while also being one of the lowest scoring attacks in the league. Sargent will be alongside midfielder Djordje Mihailovic as the key players in Toronto’s attack this season in a team that has high expectations despite rebuilding.
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Sargent will bring a strong presence to the team, but he’s been someone who is at their best when others are creating chances for him, which is where Mihailovic comes in. If the duo can get things going together, there’s no reason why Toronto won’t win some games this season, as an improvement is needed. Toronto will open their season on Saturday night, facing FC Dallas.
