In a short period of time, Josh Sargent has lived up to the hype that came with his transfer to Toronto FC.

Sargent, 26, leads Toronto (3-2-1, 10 points) into a home match against FC Cincinnati (2-4-0, 6 points) on Saturday afternoon.

Sargent’s header in the 85th minute served as the match winner in Toronto’s 3-2 comeback win against the Colorado Rapids last Saturday. It earned him recognition on the MLS Team of the Matchday. Toronto is unbeaten in four straight matches (3-0-1).

While he has only played in three matches, Sargent has a goal and an assist.

Sargent was acquired in February from English Championship club Norwich City for a $22 million transfer fee, that can be worth up to $26 million — a top-five transfer fee paid by an MLS team. Sargent inked a contract through the 2030-31 MLS campaign that already has paid dividends.

“Josh is good at everything you need a forward to be good at,” Toronto coach Robin Fraser said. “We see bits and pieces of it every time we see him play. And then we see more of it when we see more minutes. His whole (style) of play is excellent. He’s very tidy in tight spaces. He also has really good timing when it comes time to get forward and make decisions about how he can get himself in front of the goal.”

Toronto announced on Friday that midfielder Djordje Mihailovic is expected to be sidelined approximately eight weeks after being diagnosed with a fractured pelvis. He has one goal and two assists in five matches (four starts) this season.

FC Cincinnati coach Pat Noonan also noted Sargent has an extensive skill set.

“I think you see a player that will be very impactful on how they play moving forward,” Noonan said. “He’s a goal scorer and a team player and is just getting started. Hopefully we can have some solutions to limiting his impact.”

Cincinnati dropped a 4-2 match to the New York Red Bulls last Saturday and has been outscored 15-9 this season.

Because it is usually in a 5-2-1-2 formation, Cincinnati’s move to an aggressive 4-3-3 lineup against New York was a significant change. Yet, Noonan shook off the strategic shift.

“We analyze our current group and what is working and what is not,” Noonan said. “Our opponent also factors in. We don’t rule out anything when it comes to preparation.”

Toronto earned a 1-0 win at Cincinnati on March 8 on a Daniel Salloi goal in the 86th minute.

–Field Level Media