Sargent scored in his U.S. debut against Bolivia on May 28, 2018, and has five goals in 28 international appearances — none since a pair vs. Cuba in the CONCACAF Nations League on Nov. 19, 2019.

“I’ve known that the guy can score goals since he was 15, 16 years old,” said defender Tim Ream, a St. Louis native who at 37 is the senior current America player. “It’s not something that we’re worried about. You look at what he’s doing at Norwich and at club, and the types of goals that he’s scoring, they’re all different. … It’s a matter of putting his head down and continuing to work and doing the things that he’s good at and the goals will definitely come.”

Americans over the years have put themselves in poor positions ahead of World Cups by spending time with clubs that have limited their playing time. Sargent is happy with his current team.

“A lot of decisions had to be made, not just for myself, but for my family,” said Sargent, who has a 3-year-old daughter, “Overall, I think I’m in a good spot at Norwich. I’m at a place where I know I can score goals, which, of course, is important going into the World Cup.”