It’s 13th November 2015. The USMNT are playing against Saint Vincent and the Grenadines at Busch Stadium, where baseball team St. Louis Cardinals normally play their home games. It’s a World Cup qualifying game, the Americans comfortably run out as 6-1 winners – a game they had to win. In the stands, a young boy from St. Louis sits and cheers on his team, one day dreaming of playing for the American national team himself. His name: Josh Sargent.
The then 15-year-old’s dream has now long been a reality. Sargent is now a member of the US national team, scoring two goals in eight games, and is considered one of the biggest American talents in football at the moment. At 2am on Wednesday morning, it’s time for his next wish to come true: The USMNT is back at the Busch Stadium.
Dreams coming true in the Arch City! 💯@JoshSargent and @TimReam5 on reppin' the 🇺🇸 in their hometown on Tuesday vs. 🇺🇾. pic.twitter.com/e5iYvDoqY7
— U.S. Soccer Men's National Team (@USMNT) September 9, 2019
It’s only the second time in history, and this time Josh Sargent is right in the middle of it. “It’s going to be crazy. You can feel how happy all the people are here and how close everyone is. That’s what St. Louis is all about,” said the Werder forward about his home town, and he’s full of anticipation: “It will be pretty cool to play in front of my town.”
The 19-year-old wants to make sure that his friends and family don’t miss out on this experience. “I’ve now reserved 60 tickets, but I had to hand it over to my parents to organise it; it was just too stressful for me,” explained the young striker ahead of the game against Uruguay.
Sargent is hoping to make his mark in this game. After the bitter 3-0 defeat to archrivals Mexico, as well as the missed penalty, the 19-year-old is desperate to score. “I decided to take it in the moment and I missed, but that happens in football”, asserted the striker, who then received a clear instruction from his coach: “Score the next one!” Four years have now passed since the last time the USMNT won in the Busch Stadium, and Sargent has only one thing on his mind: Scoring a goal in his home town of St. Louis.
