The United States men’s national team have many roster spots sewn up for the 2026 World Cup, health-pending, but the center forward position is anything but straight-forward.
The two biggest names have just returned from long-term injuries, two free-scoring men are currently out of action, and a pair of English Championship high-flyers have had to work for their opportunities under Mauricio Pochettino.
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And there are more options, too, of course.
Folarin Balogun, Damion Downs, and Josh Sargent are in the squad for this month’s friendlies against South Korea and Japan. Perhaps they are in the driver’s seat because of availability, but there could be many twists and turns before the USMNT kick off Group D action on June 12, 2026, at SoFi Stadium in California.
Who could be the USMNT center forwards at the 2026 World Cup?
Patrick Agyemang, Derby County
The gigantic Rhode Island alum, 24, has yet to make his Championship debut after transferring from Charlotte FC this summer. where he had been playing through a hernia. Pochettino has come to trust the big man, who has scored against Venezuela, Costa Rica, Canada, Trinidad and Tobago, and Haiti.
Folarin Balogun, AS Monaco
Balogun, 24, has suffered ankle and shoulder injuries that have kept him from playing for Mauricio Pochettino. In fact, Balogun hasn’t earned a cap since September 2024. He scored twice at the 2024 Copa America after opening his USMNT account in his second cap — the 2023 CONCACAF Nations League Final. Balogun’s pedigree as an England U21 star and Arsenal academy product is the best in the pool, and he’s finally healthy. Balogun has a goal and has gone 90 minutes in each of Monaco’s last two Ligue 1 outings.
Damion Downs, Southampton
A move to the Championship from Bundesliga side Koln this summer has seen the imposing 21-year-old Downs make five appearances with an assist for his new club. Downs scored 11 times with six assists in all competitions last season when Koln was in the second division.
Ricardo Pepi, PSV Eindhoven
The 22-year-old caught fire last season — 11 goals in just 681 minutes — and seemed an unquestioned piece of the World Cup roster before a knee injury sidelined him for the Eredivisie season in February. He returned in August and has played thrice off the bench for PSV boss Peter Bosz.
Josh Sargent, Norwich City
The Missouri-born Sargent, 25, was a much-hyped U.S. U-17 forward before moving to Werder Bremen in 2017. His path to becoming a star striker wasn’t always prolific despite impressing as a teenager with Bundesliga side Werder Bremen. He moved to Norwich City and scored twice in the 2021-22 Premier League season and has become a force in the English Championship. Sargent has captained the Canaries several times this season in producing five goals in four league games this season, and his past two seasons in the Championship have been fantastic despite multiple injury absences (groin, ankle) of significant length).
Brian White, Vancouver Whitecaps
No American in MLS has more goals than White’s 14, and he’s done it over 1,613 minutes. The 29-year-old Duke product scored 15 times in each of the previous two seasons and would be in this camp were it not for a minor hamstring injury.
Haji Wright, Coventry City
The 27-year-old has taken an unorthodox career journey from the jump, when he left the LA Galaxy academy for NASL side New York Cosmos before moving to Schalke. He’s scored double-digit goals in five-straight seasons across three leagues (Danish Superliga, Turkish Super Lig and the English Championship). He’s got four goals in four games to start this season, and has big goals in the USMNT shirt (one versus Netherlands in the 2022 World Cup Round of 16 and a brace versus Jamaica in the 2024 CONCACAF Nations League semifinals).
Darren Yapi, Colorado Rapids
The 20-year-old caught a bit of fire this month, and heat checks have made many a World Cup player over the years. Yapi stands approximately 6-foot-1 and has four of his seven goals since mid-July.
Darren Yapi with the volley to get us started!#COLvATL pic.twitter.com/MJZPSyqhxl
— Colorado Rapids (@ColoradoRapids) August 17, 2025
Who will be the USMNT center forwards at the 2026 World Cup?
Gregg Berhalter called in three out-right center forwards for the 2022 World Cup: Jesus Ferreira, Haji Wright, and Josh Sargent. Timothy Weah had played some center forward minutes for the Yanks, but those were a couple of years prior to the tournament.
The World Cup roster size of 26 gives some freedom, so we’ll select four in this case. All of these, of course, are health-pending.
Folarin Balogun will be there. It would take a huge slip from the Monaco man to not emerge from this group.
Ricardo Pepi should also make the team, although there is some question as to how long it will take for him to find his pre-ACL tear form.
Patrick Agyemang seems likely to be there, too, presuming he finds any semblance of his form. The idea of him doing what he did for Pochettino while suffering from a hernia makes a healthy Agyemang a tantalizing proposition.
That said, only Balogun feels certain and even he comes with the grey area that is his not playing for Pochettino until this break.
Wright, Sargent, Downs, White... these are players whose resumes would’ve made them automatic inclusions on previous rosters. Anything could happen over the next nine months. What team will be birthed for the World Cup?
