U17 MNT forward signs with German club

by J.R. Eskilson

September 20, 2017

On Wednesday, Werder Bremen announced the signing of U.S. U17 Men’s National Team forward Joshua Sargent. The former St. Louis Scott Gallagher standout raised his profile in the past season with a standout performance with the U.S. U20 Men’s National Team at the 2017 World Cup.

Sargent is now with the U17 MNT in Florida as they prepare for the 2017 U17 World Cup in India, which kicks off in October. Sargent will join Werder Bremen in 2018 when he turns 18 years old on February 20th.

“We have been keeping tabs on Joshua for a long time and so it isn’t a great surprise to us that his brilliant performances have attracted attention on an international scale,” Tim Steidten, the Werder Bremen head of squad planning and scouting, said in a press release. “Therefore we are extremely happy that despite the numerous offers from other top clubs in Europe, he was convinced by our philosophy at SV Werder and that we can now oversee his development as a player and support him along the way. He has a great understanding of the game and he is one of the most promising talents of his age in the world.”

Steidten also mentioned that Sargent will play with the club’s U23 team when he arrives in Feb., and they will target making him “a proper part of the squad” in the summer.

Sargent and the U.S. U17 Men’s National Team kick off the 2017 World Cup on Oct. 6 against host India.

McKennie’s First Start

U.S. Youth National Team midfielder Weston McKennie made his first start for Schalke 04's first team on Tuesday in a 0-3 loss to Bayern Munich. McKennie, 19, played 58 minutes in the game, and exited with the score 0-2 to Munich’s favor.

This was the first start of McKennie’s young career as the former FC Dallas Youth player looks to carve out a consistent role with Schalke, which sits in fifth in the Bundesliga table. McKennie was lauded for his work rate in his first start, as he covered the most ground out of any player on the field during his time on the pitch.

Schalke 04 is back in action on Saturday against Hoffenheim.

Impossible to Stop

Nick Taitague, 18, had a standout game for Schalke 04 U19 against VfL Bochum over the weekend. The talented winger set up a number of chances for his squad in the game and drew a handful of free kick opportunities.

Despite the game ending in a scoreless draw, Taitague was a menace for the opposition and looks to be one of the bright spots of the Schalke 04 U19 squad.