AL RAYYAN, Qatar — The door is never completely closed, Gregg Berhalter likes to say.
Rejection is just about that particular roster, and time away from the U.S. national team could always wind up being temporary. Out of sight doesn’t mean out of mind.
Josh Sargent’s absence probably felt more permanent as the months dragged by, as the goals dried up and as Norwich City plummeted toward relegation last spring. He seemed to be very much a part of Berhalter’s immediate plans back in the summer of 2021. Sargent started both the Concacaf Nations League semifinal and final that June and then appeared in each of the three World Cup qualifiers contested three months later. But his dream move to England quickly soured, and the promising St. Louis product soon had little choice but to hope the international door would remain ajar.
