Josh Sargent celebrated his first Man of the Match performance for Norwich City on Saturday.
Sargent scored his first goal of the new EFL Championship campaign in the Canaries’ 2-2 home draw with Blackburn Rovers. The U.S. men’s national team forward also added one assist in a strong 89 minutes for Johannes Thorup’s squad.
Despite fighting back from 1-0 down, the Canaries conceded an 87th minute equalizer and had to share the spoils from Carrow Road.
Sargent tied the match at 1-1 in the 65th minute thanks to a powerful left-footed strike into the top-left corner. It marked his first goal since April 27.
The Missouri native set up Borja Sainz for a 2-1 Norwich City lead in the 73rd minute, but Blackburn would tie the match three minutes before stoppage time.
Sargent also hit the crossbar once in the match while also winning two individual duels.
Norwich City next hosts Sheffield United on August 24 in league play.
Ethan Horvath struggles in Cardiff City’s lopsided loss to Burnley
It was a forgettable trip to Turf Moor for USMNT goalkeeper Ethan Horvath.
Horvath conceded one own goal and failed to make a single save in Cardiff City’s 5-0 road loss to Burnley. The 29-year-old watched as the Bluebirds suffered their second-straight league defeat of the new campaign.
Horvath’s slip in the ninth minute led to the Clarets opening goal of the match. The veteran shot-stopper took his focus off of a back pass, watching as it rolled into an empty net.
Things didn’t get better for Horvath as Burnley continued to pile it on throughout the match. USMNT-eligible winger Luca Koleosho doubled the Clarets’ lead in the 31st minute before Josh Brownhill, Zeki Amdouni, and Johann Berg Gudmundsson all added insult to injury for Cardiff City.
It marked the most goals conceded by Cardiff City since suffering a 5-2 loss to Rotherham United on the final day of last season.
Up next for Cardiff City is a derby clash with Swansea City on August 25.
Gabriel Slonina, Donovan Pines lead Barnsley past Lincoln City
Make it back-to-back victories for American duo Gabriel Slonina and Donovan Pines.
EFL League One side Barnsley earned a 2-1 road result on Saturday at Lincoln City to claim their first three points of the new campaign. Both Slonina and Pines retained their spots in the starting lineup after featuring midweek in a 4-2 penalty shootout victory over Wigan Athletic.
Slonina made seven saves in Saturday’s win while Pines logged his first 90 minutes of the new season. Both players were influential in Darrell Clarke’s squad, who snapped a five-match winless run against Lincoln City across all competitions.
Up next is an EFL Trophy match on August 20 vs. Manchester United’s Academy squad before a league showdown with Northampton Town on Aug. 24.