USMNT World Cup roster watch: Patrick Agyemang, Haji Wright break scoring droughts at the right time

In the months leading to the World Cup, U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino wants to see his players starting regularly for their clubs. He wants them to find their best form and avoid injuries that could threaten their national team status.

Furthermore, from his corps of strikers, he wants to see goals.

Entering the weekend, U.S. scoring production had grown barren recently — in part because of Ricardo Pepi’s fractured forearm and Josh Sargent’s refusal to play amid transfer desires.

Those who were on the field couldn’t find the net. But in the English Championship, one rung below the Premier League, the scoring touch resurfaced as winning goals in the waning moments of two tight matches this weekend.

Patrick Agyemang ended a four-game drought by scoring Derby City’s winner in the 82nd minute of a 1-0 surprise at Preston North End, while Haji Wright snapped out of a 14-game funk over three months with an 85th-minute goal to lift first-place Coventry City to a 2-1 win over Leicester City.

Of course, there is no official U.S. striker depth chart, but it’s fair to say Monaco’s Folarin Balogun sits atop the list, followed by Pepi, Wright, Agyemang and a few long shot candidates.

Balogun, Wright and Agyemang entered the weekend famished for a goal. While Balogun failed to score for a fourth straight match, the other two broke out of their ruts.

“We’re all human,” said Agyemang, the Connecticut native who missed an excellent opportunity earlier in Saturday’s match. “No one is going to score every chance — that’s natural. … I’ve been working on this mental battle in terms of being a striker and those opportunities. Things won’t go well all the time, but it’s all about the next one.”

The next one came on a 7-yard downward header that skipped into the far corner for his seventh league goal. A full-time starter since October, Agyemang is second on the team in goals and tied for first in production (10 combined goals and assists).

Wright had not scored since a two-goal performance for the U.S. against Australia in the October international window. Coming off the bench for the second straight game, he ended the skid with a simple touch on the edge of the goal line for his ninth league goal.

Over the months, Coventry City coach Frank Lampard had tried keeping Wright’s spirits up.

“When things aren’t dropping for you … my only belief is you work and you work and you work and you stay positive, even when that’s not easy, and things will happen for you,” said Lampard, the former English midfield star. “And the thing that happened for Haji is a tap-in. I am not belittling it because that’s the way it goes. From there now, it’s up to him.”

Agyemang and Wright will seek to maintain their scoring form right up to the March international window, when the U.S. will face global powers Belgium and Portugal in Pochettino’s final camp before he selects his 26-man World Cup squad in late May.

England

With U.S. top assistant Jesús Pérez in attendance, midfielder BrendenAaronson (89 minutes) and Leeds bested left back Antonee Robinson (90) and visiting Fulham 1-0 to improve to 4-1-5 over 10 matches and move eight points clear of the relegation zone.

Aaronson, who has been in top form for weeks, wasted a clear scoring opportunity in the first half. Robinson has started seven consecutive league matches.

Crystal Palace’s crisis deepened with a 2-1 loss at Sunderland, extending its winless rut to 10 in all competitions. Center back Chris Richards, who last week was voted U.S. Soccer player of the year for 2025, played 90 minutes for the Eagles, who have tumbled to 13th place.

Midfielder Aidan Morris logged 90 minutes in Middlesbrough’s 3-2 victory at West Brom, keeping the club six points behind Coventry City in the Championship race.

Sargent was absent from Norwich City’s squad for the second straight match as he reportedly seeks a move to Toronto FC. The Canaries responded by assigning him to workouts with their under-21 squad.

STEFANO RELLANDINI via Getty Images

Italy

Christian Pulisic’s scoring drought hit four matches after a 72-minute performance in AC Milan’s 1-0 victory over Lecce. After missing a one-on-one opportunity, Pulisic yielded to Niclas Füllkrug, who needed just four minutes to score the winner. Pulisic remains second in Serie A in scoring with eight goals.

Interest in Weston McKennie around Europe has reportedly heated up as the American midfielder nears the end of his Juventus contract this summer. Words of caution: Such chatter has ebbed and flowed for years, yet he has remained in northwest Italy.

Meantime, McKennie played 80 minutes in a 1-0 loss at Cagliari, Juventus’ first loss in seven Serie A matches. Next is a Champions League clash with Benfica on Wednesday.

Midfielder Yunus Musah, seeking to revive his World Cup roster outlook, made his first start in five matches for Atalanta, playing 56 minutes in a 1-1 draw at Pisa. His club will host Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday in the Champions League.

Goalkeeper Jonathan Klinsmann, who is making a case for a World Cup roster berth, made his usual start for second-tier Cesena, which ended a three-game winless streak by winning at Reggiana, 2-1. The fifth-place Seahorses are on pace to play in the promotion playoffs.

France

Balogun didn’t score but was involved in Monaco’s goal during a 3-1 loss to Lorient, its fourth straight. He set up Ansu Fati, who was foiled on his initial effort but converted the rebound. Monaco will visit Real Madrid on Tuesday in the Champions League.

Winger Tim Weah did score – a 40th-minute header from six yards during Olympique Marseille’s 5-2 romp at Angers. It was his second Ligue 1 goal and third in all competitions. Next: Liverpool on Wednesday in the Champions League.

Midfielder Tanner Tessmann made his 13th league start as Olympique Lyonnais defeated 10-man Brest 2-1 for its sixth consecutive victory in all competitions to move into fourth place — just three points behind Marseille for Ligue 1’s third Champions League berth.

Center back Mark McKenzie skipped Toulouse’s 5-1 win over Nice with a foot injury.

Germany

Defensive midfielder James Sands (90 minutes) scored his first goal since joining St. Pauli a year ago, a 62nd-minute header during a 3-2 loss at Borussia Dortmund. His club is last in the Bundesliga with a 3-11-3 mark.

Malik Tillman (90 minutes) remains a starting fixture in Bayer Leverkusen’s midfield, but a 1-0 loss at Hoffenheim was the club’s second straight setback heading into Tuesday’s Champions League visit to Olympiacos.

Midfielder Gio Reyna remains stuck on the Mönchengladbach bench, entering in the 69th minute of a 0-0 draw at Hamburg. In the previous two Bundesliga matches, he had played a total of five minutes. Teammate Joe Scally played all 90 minutes.

In his second start since joining Hamburg on loan from Southampton, forward Damion Downs came off in the 80th.

Defender Noahkai Banks, 19, made his 13th consecutive Bundesliga start as Augsburg drew with Freiburg, 2-2.

In the second division, left wing back John Tolkin went the distance as Holstein Kiel defeated Paderborn, 2-0, extending its unbeaten run to four games.

Others

PSV Eindhoven (17-1-1) continued steaming toward a third consecutive Dutch Eredivisie title, but neither American was involved in the 2-1 victory at Fortuna Sittard.

Pepi (11 goals, three assists in 21 matches overall) is out until March, while right back Sergiño Dest was held out with what was believed to be a minor injury – his first absence since Oct. 1. PSV will visit Newcastle on Wednesday in the Champions League.

Midfielder Johnny Cardoso received his first La Liga start since Aug. 30, playing 78 minutes in Atletico Madrid’s 1-0 win over Alaves. It came five days after a Copa del Rey starting assignment. Atletico will resume Champions League play Wednesday at Galatasaray.

In the Scottish Cup, center back Auston Trusty was given the day off by Celtic ahead of its 2-0 fourth-round victory over sixth-tier Auchinleck Talbot.

On the second weekend of Liga MX’s Clausura season, Club America winger Alex Zendejas remained sidelined with an injury.