Josh Sargent was waiting for his chance. And when it came, he did not miss.
The teenage American found his way into Werder Bremen’s XI against Augsburg for his first start of the season and marked the occasion with a goal.
He was involved in the build up on Werder’s opener, laying off to Niclas Fullkrug, who found Yura Osako running in behind the Augsburg back line to score the team's first.
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Then, Sargent got himself on the scoresheet, taking a chip in behind by Nuri Sahin, flicking it back to himself, then over Augsburg goalkeeper Tomas Koubek before finishing into the empty net.
He seemed to fade a bit in the second half, missing a couple of chances, and departed in the 82nd minute with Werder going on to post a 3-2 victory.
It was Sargent’s first goal of the season and comes after a preseason where he played well but admitted he would have to battle to earn a place in the lineup each week. And there are few better ways to keep a place in the XI than scoring.
JOSH. SARGENT! 🔥🔥
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) September 1, 2019
The run, the brilliant first touch, the chip of the keeper. What a goal from the American! 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/x5X9FMhXL4
The other Sunday Bundesliga match saw another American make a mark on the action.
After scoring last week for Fortuna Dusseldorf, Alfredo Morales chipped in an assist with a pin-point cross to the head Rouwen Hennings, who nodded it home against Eintracht Frankfurt.
Morales had not been called up to the United States national team in three years and looks in good form as he heads into the September camp.
Unfortunately for Morales, and club and international teammate Zack Steffen, Eintracht struck back with a pair of second-half goals to come away with a 2-1 win. Steffen made six saves in the loss.
Timothy Chandler was on the bench for Eintracht but did not feature in the match.
Elsewhere, John Brooks went 90 minutes for Wolfsburg in a 1-1 draw, while Schalke got their first win of the season, 3-0 over Hertha Berlin, with Weston McKennie going the distance. Fabian Johnson went 74 minutes in a start for Borussia Monchengladbach, though his side lost 3-1 to RB Leipzig.
There was another American to score in a top-flight division this weekend, but it wasn't one many would expect.
Ventura Alvarado found the back of the net for Necaxa in a 3-2 win over Tijuana. It was his second goal of the season for Necaxa, who sit fourth in Liga MX after eight games, all of which have been started by Alvarado.
Back across the pond in England, Christian Pulisic went the distance for Chelsea in a 2-2 draw with Sheffield United. Pulisic didn’t register a goal or assist, with his biggest impact coming as he chased a shot by Tammy Abraham. While Pulisic missed a redirection, he did seem to put off goalkeeper Dean Henderson, who spilled the ball back into Abraham’s path, with the Chelsea man finishing the chance.
Sergino Dest started Ajax’s midweek Champions League qualifier against APOEL, which the Dutch side won 2-0 to make the group stage. They’ll face Pulisic and Chelsea in Group H, which will be the foursome to watch if you like seeing Americans in the Champions League. Also in that group are Lille and Timothy Weah, though Weah is currently sidelined due to injury.
Dest also started this weekend against Sparta Rotterdam, going 65 minutes in a 4-1 win.
Red Bull Salzburg and Jesse Marsch learned they will compete in Group E alongside Champions League holders Liverpool, Napoli and Genk. They are having little trouble in Austria, as they remained perfect on the campaign, defeating Swarovski Tirol 5-1.
Tyler Adams, still sidelined for RB Leipzig, will compete with his teammates in Group G, in a wide-open foursome featuring Benfica, Zenit and Lyon. And Ethan Horvath and Club Brugge will play in Group A against Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid and Galatasaray, though the goalkeeper is unlikely to feature, with Simon Mignolet the starter.
Duane Holmes made his return to Championship action, coming on as a substitute at the half in Derby’s 3-0 loss to Brentford. He made his return from injury earlier in the week, starting a 3-0 Carabao Cup loss to Nottingham Forest.
It wasn’t the greatest of weeks for Americans in the Championship beyond that, with Tim Ream and Antonee Robinson going 90 minutes in draws for Fulham and Wigan, respectively. Eric Lichaj returned to action in a 1-1 draw for Hull City.
Cameron Carter-Vickers didn’t feature for Stoke in a 2-1 loss this weekend to Birmingham, though he did go the 90 midweek in the Potters victory over Leeds United in the Carabao Cup.
Geoff Cameron missed out on QPR’s 2-1 victory over Sheffield Wednesday with an injury, while in Turkey, Tyler Boyd was pulled at halftime in Besiktas 1-1 draw with Rizespor.