USMNT Striker Battle Intensifies Ahead of 2026 World Cup Roster Reveal
The 2026 World Cup is creeping close, with U.S. men's national team manager Mauricio Pochettino set to announce his official roster at the end of this month, naming the players who will fulfill their dreams of not only competing on soccer's greatest stage, but also doing so on home soil.
While Pochettino has been faced with multiple injury setbacks to players in his contending pool, the Argentine boss must be overall ecstatic about the state of one particular position in the USMNT roster: striker.
AS Monaco's Folarin Balogun, Coventry City's Haji Wright and PSV Eindhoven's Ricardo Pepi are all having career-best outings at the No. 9 position, as they do everything in their power to prove to Pochettino why they singularly deserve the starting role for the Stars and Stripes this summer.
It has intensified into quite the striker battle, and Pochettino may have trouble deciding who is most worthy, certainly a welcome problem.
Three Scoring Machines
It was a particularly productive day for two of the three strikers on Saturday, across their separate leagues.
Folarin Balogun
Balogun, known for his non-stop work rate off the ball and impressive speed, added his 11th goal in the last 11 games across all competitions, netting a line-drive from just inside in the 18-yard box in the 61st minute to equalize an ultimate 2–1 win over FC Metz in Ligue 1 play. He has 19 total goals on the season.
The 24-year-old out of New York City has nearly singlehandedly kept Monaco in contention for qualification for European competition next season, as the squad currently sits sixth in Ligue 1 standings. His impressive run of form began back in February, and Pochettino will be eager to see if it can persist throughout the remainder of Monaco's season.
Ricardo Pepi
Not only did Pepi score his fourth goal in three games on Saturday, but he did so with his characteristic flair, crashing the goal for a header just 34 seconds into the match against Ajax, proving to Pochettino that he cannot be so easily written off or cast into Balogun's shadow.
The 23-year-old out of El Paso, Texas now has 17 goals this season for PSV, surging in his offensive prowess despite suffering a setback with a broken forearm back in January.
Haji Wright
Although Wright did not contribute to the goal-scoring frenzy on Saturday, he's still been making an impressive bid as of late, most obviously evidenced by Coventry City's domination in the Championship and automatic promotion to the Premier League for the 2026–27 season, returning to the top flight for the first time in 25 years.
The Sky Blues' top goalscorer-named to the Championship team of the season two weeks ago-has 17 total goals, many of which were defined by his versatility and explosive, yet clinical style. He scored as recently as April 21 in a 5–1 win over Portsmouth. The 28-year-old out of Los Angeles wouldn't be a bad choice from Pochettino either.
All three strikers are anticipated to make Pochettino's final roster, announced on May 26, but who will be entrusted with the consistent starting role is still up for debate.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as USMNT Striker Battle Intensifies Ahead of 2026 World Cup Roster Reveal.
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This story was originally published May 2, 2026 at 5:33 PM.