Josh Sargent: The Bundesliga’s next breakthrough star?

Joshua Sargent is another young upcoming US player in the Bundesliga. Football in the United States is developing with more and more talent emerging. A lot of promising ones attempt to make their breakthrough at a senior level in the top European leagues.

The Bundesliga seems to be the perfect place. The standard and reputation are high, while many clubs seek players from outside Europe as they struggle to compete with the high prices on the European transfer market. After the rise of Christian Pulisic at Dortmund, Josh Sargent might be the next top player from the United States to make his way in the Bundesliga. The American striker scored twice in his first two league appearances for Werder Bremen, surprising his coach, team and supporters.

Intelligent movement and clever decision-making

One of Sargents strengths is what most players develop throughout their career: a sense for space. With his ability to recognise in which areas the opposition defence is vulnerable, he is a constant threat for any opponent.

His runs also create space for his team-mates. As the youngster likes to make deep runs, the opposition defenders are often drawn out of position when following him.

Taking a closer look at his movements, it becomes clear that Sargent likes to shift towards the ball to receive short passes. Often he receives the ball, plays a wall pass and runs into a deeper area again. These runs enable up-back-through combinations. The constant movement complicates marking him and confuses the opposition defence.

Furthermore, the USA international understands the game and thereby is also able to help his team in the earlier phases. Sargent always attempts to move out of the cover-shadow and to create a diagonal passing lane as in the situation below.