Josh Sargent’s first start of the Bundesliga season turned into a clear message that he is ready for a bigger role for club and country.
The 19-year-old striker scored a stunning goal in Werder Bremen’s 3-2 win against Augsburg on Sunday, a goal that turned heads and also earned Sargent SBI’s Americans Abroad Player of the Week honors.
Sargent’s wonder goal capped a strong shift that saw him complete three successful dribbles and register two tackles while completing 16 of 23 passes in an 81-minute performance.
It was the kind of performance that will surely catch the attention of USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter, who has called in Sargent for the September friendlies against Mexico and Uruguay. After not making the Gold Cup squad, Sargent will head into September camp eager to show that he should not only be able to be a regular part of the USMNT setup going forward, but also a player who should be starting.
Sargent’s goal-scoring performance earned him Americans Abroad Player of the Week ahead of a strong field of contenders. Here are the other top Americans Abroad performers of the past weekend:
Weston McKennie
The USMNT midfielder put in a strong shift in Schalke’s 3-0 win against Hertha Berlin. McKennie completed 47 of 55 passes to help Schalke record its first win under new manager and USMNT alumnus David Wagner.
Ventura Alvarado
The 27-year-old central defender scored a goal and helped anchor the defense in Necaxa’s 3-2 win against Club Tijuana on Saturday. Alvarado’s play has helped Necaxa get off to a strong start to the Liga MX season that has them in fourth place.
Alfredo Morales
The Fortuna Dusseldorf midfielder was unable to help his team avoid defeat, but Morales did turn in a performance that was arguably the best on his team in Sunday’s loss to Eintracht Frankfurt. Morales registered an assist and won four aerial duals in Sunday’s 2-1 loss.
Christian Pulisic
It was a disappointing day for Chelsea, settling for a 2-2 draw against Sheffield United, but Pulisic put in a steady 90-minute shift in his latest start for the Blues. He completed 29 of 35 passes, registered four successful dribbles and added two tackles in his latest start for Frank Lampard.
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What did you think of Sargent’s performance this weekend? Which Americans Abroad standout impressed you the most this week?
Share your thoughts below.
I too appreciate a summary of the real highlights rather than just a long list of who played.
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Ventura Alvarado has been captaining Necaxa for a while now, I’m not sure how long. He seems like a good anchor in the back, always energetic and determined-looking, even if he can’t always make up for mistakes that happen around him.
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One thing that could make this feature even better would be to also include the occasional update on key players on the injury list, not just the fact that they are injured but how they’re doing and when they expect to return. I was sorry to see the news about Weah, and I’m still wondering why Yedlin and Adams both seem to have taken somewhat longer than expected.
Bremen loaned Martin Harnik to Hamburg today. Good news for Sargent one less CF. Bad news for Bobby Wood though I guess.
???Johnny
Zardes will still start sad.
I have never seen SBI do a Yanks Abroad Player of the Week. That goal was that good! LOL
Very good, thank you for the details!
This is great news, a game to build on consistency