Josh Sargent Making Strides at Werder Bremen

Josh Sargent is only 18 years old, but his youth did not prevent him from establishing himself as a future star for Werder Bremen.

Sargent competed with the Werder Bremen U-19s, helped the team clinch third place at the U19 Champions Trophy tournament in Düsseldorf behind an excellent performance from the United States under-20 Men’s National Team forward.

The road to Bremen may not have always seem like the clear or likely route to get a professional career started, but Sargent is well on his way to future success.In September of 2017, Bremen announced that Sargent would join the club on January 1, 2018 and then sign a professional contract on his 18th birthday, per FIFA rules. He has since played with the club's U-23 squad in a friendly matches and signed his contract on February 20, 2018, making him eligible to join the first team for the 2018–19 season.

Before he can make a first-team impression, however, Sargent has been busy impressing onlookers with his on-field play. Sargent was a force and scored three goals in five contests during the tournament and ultimately helped lead Werder Bremen to a third-place finish. In that third-place game, Sargent scored the only goal in 1-0 victory over Huddersfield Town.

Sargent scored Werder Bremen's lone goal in the opening round of the group stage as the squad dropped a 2-1 decision to RB Salzburg. Werder Bremen then earned draws with against Standard Luttich and Japanese High School Select.

Sargent scored again in the final group-stage match, a 2-0 win over Everton, as Bremen sealed second place in the group and a semifinal berth. In the semifinals, the club fell to Borussia Monchengladbach, 4-2, in extra time.

The rise of Sargent is one to watch to USMNT fans. With Christian Pulisic already establishing himself within the Bundesliga, Sargent and Schalke's Weston McKennie represent another wave of talented Americans seeking to gain greater competition in day-to-day training than they could achieve domestically.

The presence of US internationals within the Bundesliga is nothing new as veterans like Sargent's Werder Bremen clubmate Aron Johannson, Wolfsburg's John Brooks, Eintracht Frankfurt's Timmy Chandler, Borussia Monchengladbach's Fabian Johnson, and Hamburg SV's Bobby Wood are all currently in Germany's top league, but the commitments made at a young age by players like Pulisic, Sargent, and McKennie will be fascinating to watch develop. Where some have continued to develop (Brooks, Wood), others have failed (Julian Green).

Watching the career arc of Sargent will be especially interesting, particularly if he can establish himself a a starter or at least a member of the regular rotation for Bremen next year. With Bremen currently looking like it may be a team on the rise, Sargent could be a vital cog in continuing to push Bremen toward a resurgence.

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