It’s the 76th minute in the Weser-Stadion. Josh Sargent is called off the bench by Florian Kohfeldt, with a potential first Bundesliga appearance in store. He puts his shirt on, gets ready, and steps onto the pitch. Just 120 seconds later, Davy Klaassen crosses the ball into the box. Martin Harnik shoots, Rensing blocks, and Josh Sargent is in the right place to put the ball away with his first touch of the ball.
These are the stories that football keeps on writing, stories that make the sport so fascinating. This story, however, is unique. Sargent’s call-up to the squad was no coincidence. His performances in training were good, as were his convincing displays for the USA national team. Nonetheless, it was still a slight surprise when Florian Kohfeldt announced on Thursday that the striker would be in the squad to face Düsseldorf.
It’s unlikely that anyone would have predicted his debut to go as well as it did. “His first appearance, a home win and his first Bundesliga goal. He should really enjoy this evening and tomorrow, we’ll get back into training”, said Kohfeldt shortly after the game. Despite all the praise bestowed on him, there are still a lot of areas that Sargent must further develop. This will take time, but with the north German meticulousness of Florian Kohfeldt and the hard work of Josh Sargent, the story, which yesterday began in the 76th minute, can become the start of something very special.
