Toronto FC have finally worked out an agreement to bring American striker Josh Sargent to MLS from Norwich City and he will join a Designated Player. It has been a roundabout process, but the fee is around $22 million according to The Athletic, which is one of the highest in MLS history and marks a record purchase for Toronto. Despite being from Missouri, Sargent has never played in MLS, but the move back to North America comes at a time when the 25-year-old is settling down to raise his family.
It was a strange departure from Norwich City as Sargent reportedly declared himself unavailable for an FA Cup tie in January via a text to manager Philippe Clement, and he has been banished to the U-23’s since. In 156 appearances for Norwich City, Sargent has scored 56 goals between the Premier League and the Championship, but despite reported interest from Wolfsburg during the summer, according to The Athletic, the move to North America is what made the most sense.
Due to MLS roster rules, Toronto FC had to acquire St. Louis City SC’s right of first refusal for Sargent, which cost $500,000 in General Allocation Money. When St. Louis came into the league, they were able to designate a player for whom they had the right of first refusal for and picked Sargent, which gives the club additional flexibility in building out their own roster.
“We are thrilled to welcome Josh to Toronto FC as a foundational piece of what we have been building here at the club since last summer,” said Toronto FC General Manager Jason Hernandez.
“He brings high-level experience in some of the strongest leagues in the world and an international pedigree at just 26 years old. He is a proven goalscorer, with a winning mentality and the intelligence that will lead our attack for years to come. Josh will just begin to enter the prime of his career while representing our club and our city. When we started conversations with Josh and his representation, it was very evident that he isn’t just the right player, but the right person to elevate the culture we have been building. We are excited for him and his family to start this new journey with us in Toronto, and we look forward to everyone supporting him as he steps on the field to fight for our badge.”
Sargent has fallen down the pecking order for the United States men’s national team as he looks to make the squad for a second consecutive World Cup. He hasn’t been called into camp since September of 2025, when he started against South Korea before being benched against Japan, which started the USMNT’s current five-match unbeaten streak. Manager Mauricio Pochettino has stated multiple times that the door isn’t closed for players, so if Sargent comes into Toronto and starts scoring, there could be a window to make the World Cup, but with Patrick Agyemang, Haji Wright, and Folarin Balogun all performing well at their clubs and Ricardo Pepi coming back from injury, it will be hard to break back into the USMNT rotation.
The first priority is getting back to fitness, as Sargent hasn’t played first-team soccer since January, but coming to a Toronto team that also hasn’t played competitive matches since the MLS season ended in October of 2025, Sargent won’t be that far off the pace of his teammates. Toronto finished 12th in the Eastern Conference last season, missing the playoffs and averaging less than a point per game while also being one of the lowest scoring attacks in the league. Sargent will be alongside midfielder Djordje Mihailovic as the key players in Toronto’s attack this season in a team that has high expectations despite rebuilding.
Sargent will bring a strong presence to the team, but he’s been someone who is at their best when others are creating chances for him, which is where Mihailovic comes in. If the duo can get things going together, there’s no reason why Toronto won’t win some games this season, as an improvement is needed.
