From St Louis in USA all the way to Bremen in Germany. A huge step and brave decision for the then 17-year old, who spoke no German, and arrived in a city that couldn’t have been more different to his hometown. But Joshua Sargent took the leap of faith and has since made the step to becoming a Bundesliga player. The talented youngster, who has developed both on and off the pitch in Bremen, spoke to WERDER.DE about his early days in Bremen and his sporting development at Werder.
WERDER.DE: Winter is truly here in Bremen. How are you coping?
Joshua Sargent: "To be honest, the weather isn’t that much different to my hom town St. Louis. I’m used to the cold. In winter it it’s really cold, in the summer really hot. I would say it’s more extreme than here. At the moment we have 12 inches of snow, so 30 centimetres."
WERDER.DE: We won’t have that in Bremen any time soon… How difficult was it for you to settle in Bremen?
Joshua Sargent: "It was hard at the start. It was a huge culture shock. I didn’t know anyone here and the language was a big challenge, even though most people speak English, which was really helpful. Not knowing about anything was the hardest. In the first week I had absolutely no idea about anything. Then I tried to go out more into the city and to meet as many people as I could to hang out. That helped a lot. I learnt a lot about the city and the people here."
WERDER.DE: Did your girlfriend come with you at the start?
Joshua Sargent: "No, unfortunately not. She wasn’t able to move here until the start of the season. The first four, five months I was completely alone. But now she lives with me in Bremen."
WERDER.DE: What was the biggest challenge for you from a sporting perspective?
Joshua Sargent: "Getting used to the tempo and speed of the Bundesliga was definitely the biggest challenge. But training with my teammates every day has helped and it prepared me for my first appearance."
I needed to be sure the ball went in!Joshua Sargent
WERDER.DE: You’ve scored your first Bundesliga goal. Have your teammates been giving you any stick that you stole the goal off Martin Harnik?
Joshua Sargent: "Surprisingly there weren’t too many comments. I expected more. They all understood and fortunately were all happy for me. The atmosphere in the changing room after the win was just great.”
WERDER.DE: Most strikers would have probably done the same…
Joshua Sargent (smirking): "I just had to make sure that the ball went in because there was a defender coming."
WERDER.DE: How would you evaluate the first half of the season?
Joshua Sargent: "I worked as hard as possible to get my minutes and when they arrived I just wanted to do whatever I could to make the most of this chance. I think I managed that. I am happy with how it has gone so far.”
WERDER.DE: How impatient did you get as the season ticked on and you were still playing solely in the U23s?
Joshua Sargent: "The coaching team told me the most important thing for me was match practice, in order build rhythm and continue developing. But obviously I wanted to be training with the first team straight away and permanently. It was a bit frustrating at times. I knew that I could give a good account of myself in and that I belonged in the Bundesliga team, and that’s what I tried to do. It was important for me to stay calm in this situation.
WERDER.DE: How difficult was it, considering how many times you’ve played for the national team?
Joshua Sargent: "As I said, I had good discussions with the coach, in which we all talked about the situation and were clear. That was ok for me."
WERDER.DE: What are your goals for the second half of the season?
Joshua Sargent: "I want to establish myself in the first team and be in the squad every matchday – not in the starting XI, but in the squad. Maybe a few starts towards the end of the season. But I know that I have a long, hard journey ahead of me. I know the competition. I need to work even harder to achieve these goals."
