Josh Sargent Extends Stay with Werder Bremen
MNT Striker Josh Sargent and head coach Gregg Berhalter discuss the 19-year-old forward's contract extension with German Bundesliga side Werder Bremen.
Things continue to move quickly for U.S. Men’s National Team forward Josh Sargent.
In the past 12 months he has scored in both his international and professional debuts, and just days after making his first start for Werder Bremen the 19-year-old signed a contract extension for the German Bundesliga outfit on Tuesday.
“It’s been a dream start so far,” Sargent told Werder.TV. “I couldn’t have asked for much better in my debut and I’m hoping for the future that everything will go just as smoothly.”
I am very excited to extend my career with @werderbremen ! Bremen has continued to make me feel at home. I am looking forward to working hard for many years to come for the club and our fans! 💚🦁 #werder pic.twitter.com/m1PcRMesJQ
— Josh Sargent (@joshsargent) February 26, 2019
The 2017 U.S. Soccer Young Male Player of the Year reminisced about his first goal for the club, which came just two minutes after entering his debut a match -- a 3-1 win against Fortuna Düsseldorf on Dec. 7. A second goal followed in a 3-2 defeat to RB Leipzig on Dec. 22 – matching the two goals he’s scored in six appearances with the U.S. Men’s National Team.
On Feb. 16, the MNT forward earned a free kick which resulted in a stoppage-time equalizer as Werder Bremen earned a 1-1 draw with Hertha Berlin. Having turned 19 on Feb. 20, Sargent was awarded his first start for Werder Bremen two days later, going 61 minutes in a 1-1 draw with Stuttgart.
MNT head coach Gregg Berhalter was able to take in the latest milestone in Sargent’s young career as part of his tour watching and meeting up with several members of the U.S. player pool and their clubs in Germany last week.
MNT head coach Gregg Berhalter meets with Werder Bremen Sporting Director Frank Baumann
Having spent seven years playing in Germany with Energie Cottbus and 1860 Munich, Berhalter is familiar with the club’s historic attacking style of play and spoke optimistically of the MNT striker’s situation at the Weser Stadium.
“We’re excited for Josh. It’s a great opportunity for him to continue to grow in an environment that is used to developing players and overall, I think a great opportunity for him to continue on his pathway.
“He has the potential to be a top player and it’s going to be up to his development. Now it’s about a collaboration between Werder Bremen and the U.S. National Team to get him in that position. He certainly has the potential to do so.”