Bundesliga
Sargent: “Werder has a special place in my heart”
USA forward Josh Sargent says there is a “special place” in his heart for Werder Bremen as he approaches his two-year anniversary at the club where he made his breakthrough in the professional game.
The 19-year-old, who has been ruled out of action for the remainder of 2019 due to a hamstring strain, has made an undeniable impact at the Weser-Stadion, scoring four times in 21 Bundesliga outings to date and having increasingly become a first-team regular under head coach Florian Kohfeldt this season.
Yet it is a far cry from his first few months in Germany, when he was allowed to train but was not eligible to play until the 2018/19 campaign after only turning 18 in February that year.
“I was here alone, just training every day and living in the boarding rooms here at the stadium,” Sargent told the club’s official Werder Podcast.
"It was tough. The first couple of months were the roughest time. Just going to training, going back to my room, eating, watching TV, being homesick. With the time difference I couldn’t really talk to anyone back home, but Netflix got me through it.”
His persistence (and binge-watching) has certainly paid off, and in addition to now being a mainstay of the Bremen side, he is also the main man up front for the US national team. And the O’Fallon, Missouri, native is well aware of the club’s role in his development.
Watch: Sargent's instant Bundesliga impact
“When I came over for a trial I had that gut feeling right away and it felt like home,” he said. “I don’t know if it’s the weather or what it is. I just felt comfortable here. I had a good talk with the coach and here I am. I don’t regret it. I’d do it again.
“Right now Werder is one of the biggest things in my life. It definitely means a lot. There’s a very special place in my heart for this club.”
So much so that Sargent says the best moment of his young career so far came in a Green-and-White jersey, rather than in a star-spangled one: “It’s my first goal for Bremen [against Fortuna Düsseldorf in December 2018]. More so than my first goal for the national team because it was my first professional game and my first touch of the ball. It happened so quickly and that’s the first one that came into my head.”
Sargent said he is also benefitting from the expertise passed down by USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter, who spent seven years in Germany as a player with Energie Cottbus and 1860 Munich.
“I have a good relationship with him,” Sargent said. “I’m happy to have been called into all the camps. When we’re not talking about match-specific things, he gives me advice about Germany and the German mentality. Just giving me little tips about how I can help myself thrive over here.”