


Player to Watch: Josh Sargent

Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.”
- Robert Frost, The Road Not Taken
Think back, for a second, to where CITY was several months ago, when native son Josh Sargent expressed a willingness to come to MLS from Norwich City, but not to come home to St. Louis, instead choosing to live and play in Toronto. An amazing city, no doubt, but not the homecoming that St. Louis fans had hoped for. Fan consternation was overwhelming, with criticism of the front office, ownership, and pretty much anyone associated with the club for a perceived failure to bring what would have been the biggest star in club history to Energizer Park, despite rumors that CITY was willing to cough up the enormous amount of money that a Sargent signing would have taken. CITY fans felt rejected by one of our own, no less, and added to two years of terrible, aimless soccer, things were pretty bleak.
Fast forward to the present day - CITY is in the midst of a club-record 17-match unbeaten streak; they just qualified for the first tournament final in their history; they're the hottest club in all of MLS right now, and things are better than they have ever been for a fanbase suddenly energized (pun semi-intended) by months of positive growth and investment in talent by the front office.
Would things be as they are now had CITY and Sargent traveled down "the road not taken" together? We'll never know, but it seems unlikely that the overhaul of talent by the CITY front office could not have happened if they had gone all-in financially on Sargent. Certainly, CITY wouldn't have their new star Rafa Navarro, who has shown every indication of being the absolute perfect fit for the Damet system. As for Toronto FC, Sargent's presence hasn't lifted them out of peril in the Eastern Conference, as they sit in 12th on 29 points, 3 back of 9th place FC Cincinnati for the final playoff position.
As for Sargent himself, he's been... ok in his first year in MLS despite battling injuries that have plagued him throughout his career. He's only started 16 of Toronto's 25 MLS matches this season, but despite this, he's tied for the club lead in goals at 7 with old enemy Daniel Sallói and has also added 2 assists. He'll obviously want to make an impact in front of his hometown, so CITY would do well to make sure that he's contained as much as possible as they look to continue their unbeaten run.




Do they have any St. Louis-area players?
Josh Sargent, ST - O'Fallon, MO
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