I personally don't think Sargent is a poor quality #9. Enough chances aren't created for him, of course you want him to create some more himself and finish the chances he has had, but he's certainly strong and fast enough, effort/work rate is there. I see him making the attacking runs, applying high pressure, defending and winning balls from the #9 position, holdup play when needed, and we know he's capable of finishing if he and the team keep creating dangerous GSO's. He's 21 yrs old, playing at high level clubs, albeit a German club that was relegated and now an EPL club that will have to fight relegation, but he's only going to get better.
Do the USMNT fans that think Sargent is the problem expect Haaland, Lewandowski or Lukaku to walk through that door? Do they want Altidore on the WCQ squad? Can't wait for Zardes to get healthy? or what? After Sargent and Pefok, the options are who? Dike, Gioacchini, Gyasi Zardes, Jordan Morris? They're good, too, in different ways. A couple of them are injured for this Intl break anyway. I'd probably prefer Dike be on these WCQ rosters, but I'm not sure any of these guys are much better than Sargent or Pefok at this point. Can Weah (also injured), Aaronson, or Hoppe play CF instead of their usual winger positions well enough to finish and score more goals than Sargent or Pefok? Now might not be the best time to experiment.
Goals will be hard to come by in these matches. US shouldn't have conceded one to Canada - that's not on Pefok on Sunday and Sargent wasn't on the field. Of course Davies- one of, if not the fastest soccer player in the world, is going to blow by Yedlin given a good diagonal or through ball. The rest of the back line didn't track runners. One lapse like that from a central defender and you concede a goal and there's two points you're not getting in the Octagonal.
Want more goals? Pulisic (who is more of decoy/ tackling dummy in these concacaf matches for all intents and purposes), Aaronson, Konrad, any of the midfielders or full backs, or any of the CBs on set pieces can help create or score themselves - it can't all be on Sargent.