After a bit of a slow start in MLS, Josh Sargent is starting to come good for Toronto FC.
The American forward’s strike in a 3-3 draw against the Philadelphia Union on Wednesday was his second goal in six appearances for Toronto and his third goal contribution overall. He also had a goal and an assist in TFC’s 3-2 win over the Colorado Rapids on April 4.
Sargent will be looking to add to those numbers when TFC hosts Atlanta United on Saturday at BMO Field in the seventh match of a nine-game homestand.
Sargent, a U.S. international, failed to score in his 20-minute debut off the bench for Toronto last month and again a week later when he earned his first start and went 45 minutes. Sargent hadn’t played in a competitive game since early January after submitting a transfer request and being subsequently frozen out by English club Norwich City.
Given the lengthy layoff, it shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise that he didn’t exactly hit the ground running in Toronto. But he’s beginning to make up for lost time.
“He’s still obviously getting to know the team, getting to know the league. And every time we see him, we see another wrinkle, like it’s just peeling back layers. ‘Oh, he’s good at that. Oh, he’s good at that, too. Oh, he’s really good at that.’ And it’s exciting to watch him get comfortable,” coach Robin Fraser said after the draw vs. Philadelphia.
“I thought the goal tonight was excellent. Just to see a forward who is so clear in his mind about what he wants to do is really impressive. I thought the spot he got into tonight, a lot of people get into that spot and don’t turn it into a goal. And for me, that touch and the decision to drive through that gap is nothing but somebody who’s supremely confident and knows what he can do.”
Slowly but surely, Sargent is coming into form for the Reds and has looked far more dangerous in the final third while also contributing defensively.
He’s squandered some guilt-edged scoring chances the last two games, but he also took his opportunity off a feed from Dániel Sallói very well in the game against Philadelphia, showing off some great footwork as he split two defenders inside the penalty area before scoring with a low, angled drive.
Commentator Dax McCarty, a former U.S. international player, has been impressed with what he’s seen so far from Sargent in MLS.
“He’s a complete striker, and I mean that in every sense of the word. He can score goals in all kinds of different ways, which, of course, as an expensive striker, the pressure is there, and you’re going to have to score goals,” McCarty told Sportsnet.
“But he’s confident with his right foot, with his left foot, he’s really good in and around the box. He’s technically really clean. He’s got really clean feet to be able to go one-on-one at a centre back or a fullback and isolate himself and get a shot off. He has really good pace for a bigger guy.”
McCarty also believes Sargent’s on-field intelligence is one of the reasons why he is a threat to score 20 goals a season in MLS, and can become the focal point of Toronto FC for years to come
“There are some strikers that have a low soccer IQ, but they’re great goal scorers, and that’s just what they do. I actually think Josh Sargent is both. I think he’s a great goal scorer, but I think he’s got a really high soccer IQ, which helps him involve his teammates, and it helps him be a facilitator,” McCarty explained.
Now that Sargent has a pair of goals under his belt for TFC, it’ll be interesting to see if he can get into a solid goal-scoring rhythm.
Toronto goalkeeper Luka Gavran has no doubt that the goals will start flowing from Sargent.
“Honestly, I feel like he just needs a couple of goals and he’s going to find his form. I see it in training every day. He’s a beast. He’s so good on the ball. Both feet, finishing in and around the box, he’s really, really good. So, I have no doubt in my mind that he’s going to keep scoring and for him to get a goal and really get his confidence going is the most important thing for us,” Gavran said.
Elsewhere in MLS this weekend
- CF Montreal will try to make it two wins in a row when it welcomes New York City FC to Stade Saputo on Saturday afternoon. Montreal (2-6-0) is coming off an impressive 4-1 victory over the New York Red Bulls last week in its first game under interim coach Philippe Eullaffroy, who replaced the recently fired Marco Donadel. German forward Prince Owusu has been one of the bright spots for Montreal this season with a team-high five goals – he had a goal and two assists last week vs. the Red Bulls.
- The Vancouver Whitecaps (6-1-0) are one of the hottest teams in MLS right now and will be looking for a fourth consecutive win when they host the Colorado Rapids at BC Place on Saturday night. American forward Brian White has been hard to contain by opposing teams as he has six goals on the campaign so far, sparking an attack that ranks as the best in the league (22 goals). At the same time, Vancouver has the best defence in MLS, having only given up four goals.
- Saturday’s Texas derby between Austin FC and the Houston Dynamo is a matchup between two teams headed in opposite directions. Austin (1-4-4) is winless in seven games, including a 5-1 road loss to the San Jose Earthquakes on Wednesday, and sits near the bottom of the Western Conference table. Houston (4-4-0) has won three straight games across all competitions and earned a 1-0 home win over San Diego FC earlier this week.
Editor’s note
John Molinaro is one of the leading soccer journalists in Canada, having covered the game for over 27 years for several media outlets, including Sportsnet, CBC Sports and Sun Media. He is currently the editor-in-chief of TFC Republic, a website dedicated to in-depth coverage of Toronto FC and Canadian soccer.