25 games, 17 goals, and 4 assists—Jonathan David is on fire this season. The Lille forward has been consistently delivering for the French side, and that form looks likely to continue. Not to mention, he was named Ligue 1 Player of the Month for November. Such performances are not only a boost for his club but also for his national team, Canada. However, hypothetically speaking, if he were playing for the USMNT, David would undoubtedly be a “locked starter” under Mauricio Pochettino.

Technically, having been born in Brooklyn, New York, the 24-year-old does qualify to wear the red, blue, and white colors on his chest. Then again, moving to the rival nation saw the striker eventually adopt the CanMNT colors. But USMNT icon Charlie Davies would choose Jonathan in a heartbeat over the current striker’s pool which includes the likes of Timothy Weah and Folarin Balogun. “Jonathan David isn’t world-class,” began Davies on CBS Sports Golazo’s Call It What You Want segment.

As a former striker himself, Charlie praised the former KAA Gent forward’s consistency, highlighting how he has scored 20-plus goals in Ligue 1 for multiple seasons and surpassed 100 career goals in the French league. “He’s a goal scorer. He’s exact, and he’s got the perfect profile. He’s not the fastest, but in terms of intuition in the box, you need somebody who’s gonna pop up in the right spot and finish when they get the opportunity and finish in a variety of different ways,” added the pundit.

It’s not like the current USMNT’s center-forward pool lacks talent. Balogun, for instance, isn’t shying from making a name in Europe by playing for Monaco. However, constant injuries have often marred his case, making him less trustworthy. “You can count on Jonathan David. So yes, if he was playing for the USMNT, he is American, but if he was playing for the USMNT instead of Canada, my man’s a starter locked,” concluded Charlie Davies.

While we can understand the vision of the former Stars and Stripes forward, the sad reality is that Jonathan David belongs to the rival nation. Too bad it’s a bit late for him to switch things up as he would have been the exact solution to Pochettino’s current problem that persists in the team.

How would Jonathan David have helped Mauricio Pochettino and the USMNT?

Every team thrives with a player like Viktor Gyökeres or Harry Kane—a complete striker. No matter how well a team performs overall, without a reliable finisher up front, success can remain out of reach. According to Alexi Lalas, this is precisely the challenge that the USMNT faces, as their search for a world-class No. 9 continues.

“I still don’t think we have found a striker,” he remarked on his State of the Union Podcast, adding that his Christmas wishlist this year includes a No. 9 for the national team, even though names like Ricardo Pepi and Folarin Balogun are there at Poch’s disposal. The former USMNT star believes this glaring void in the squad must be addressed for the team to progress.

“It is a problem that it is wide open,” said the former defender, expressing hope that by the end of 2025, the issue will be resolved. He emphasized that this timeline should allow Mauricio Pochettino enough opportunity to identify a consistent goal scorer for the team. Suddenly wishing for Jonathan David to play for Stars and Stripes now, eh?