Tag: Norwich City

USMNT forward Sargent in doubt for Copa America as ankle injury returns

The forward has been dealing with ankle issues for most of the season

Josh Sargent’s troublesome ankle injury could keep the U.S. men’s national team striker out of the Copa América.

Sargent was withdrawn at halftime on Thursday, as Norwich City fell 4-0 to Leeds in the second leg of a Championship playoff semifinal.

The striker was also forced off late in the first leg as he continues to battle a lingering injury from earlier in the season.

Sargent broke his ankle early in the season and was forced to miss four months after surgery. The 24-year-old managed to put together a prolific campaign after returning, scoring 16 goals, but periodically battled recurring ankle soreness.

Following Thursday’s game, Norwich head coach David Wagner admitted that the striker was a doubt for the USMNT this summer.

“We have managed him more or less the whole time since he got back from his injury. I think everyone knows this. It is great credit to Josh with what he has done and how hard he has worked,” Wagner said.

“What this means now for the summer? At the minute I have no idea. There is going to be for sure some thorough investigations and assessment of him, to see how serious it is and what he has to do to come back to his best in pre-season.”

Sargent was called in for the Nations League finals in March, but was forced to withdraw from the U.S. roster due to his ankle injury.

The USMNT will kick off the Copa América on June 23 against Bolivia.

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Leeds vs. Norwich City: How to watch Championship playoffs, live stream

A spot in the playoff final is on the line at Elland Road

Leeds and Norwich City will face off at Elland Road on Thursday in the second leg of their Championship playoff semifinal.

The two teams played out a scoreless draw over the weekend at Carrow Road, so it’s all to play for in leg two at Leeds’ home ground.

Leeds, which finished third in the table, will fancy its chances against the sixth-place Canaries, who will look to pose a threat on the counter in the return leg.

[afflinkbutton text=”Watch Leeds vs. Norwich City on ESPN+” link=”https://go.web.plus.espn.com/Y9KaQm”]

Norwich will be sweating on the fitness of star forward Josh Sargent, who suffered a recurrence of his ankle injury in Sunday’s first leg and will be questionable for the second leg.

Leeds is aiming to bounce straight back to the Premier League after last season’s relegation, while Norwich is looking to return after its relegation in 2021-22.

The winner of this tie will face either Southampton or West Brom on May 26 at Wembley with a spot in the Premier League on the line.

Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the match.

Leeds vs. Norwich City (Championship playoffs)

  • When: Thursday, May 16
  • Where: Elland Road (Leeds)
  • Time: 3 p.m. ET
  • Channel/streaming: ESPN+ (WATCH NOW)

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Norwich faces nervous wait over Sargent status for Championship playoff vs. Leeds

Sargent faces a race against time to recover for the second leg against Leeds

Norwich City will be hoping for good news after watching leading goalscorer Josh Sargent depart the first leg of its promotion playoff against Leeds with an injury.

The U.S. men’s national team forward was forced off in the 84th minute, and manager David Wagner confirmed that the issue was with the same ankle that required surgery earlier this season.

Sargent missed nearly four full months for the Canaries, only to return to play in inspired form. The Missouri native scored 13 times in 22 matches, helping Norwich claim the final spot in the Championship’s promotion playoffs.

However, Sargent took a seat away from the ball late on against Leeds, departing a tense 0-0 draw at Carrow Road in the 84th minute. After receiving treatment briefly, Sargent slowly walked off under his own power.

Wagner hopes ‘tough guy’ Sargent returns

Speaking to reporters after the match, Wagner offered some hope that the USMNT striker would be available in Thursday’s second leg at Elland Road.

“Obviously [Sargent] wasn’t able to carry on,” said Wagner. “I haven’t spoken with him or the medical department in any detail. I think he has some problems with his ankle again.

“But, he’s a tough guy, and obviously it’s a big game. I hope and I think he will be fine.”

Norwich’s task will be simple: win on Thursday, and the Canaries will move on to the world’s most lucrative one-off match, a one-game playoff final at Wembley against either West Brom or Southampton. With no away goals rule in place, a draw by any score will send the tie to extra time.

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Sargent returns with another Norwich goal after missing USMNT duty

The USMNT forward continued his incredible campaign with a goal vs. Plymouth

Josh Sargent’s incredible season continued on Friday, as the Norwich City striker fired home another goal in his side’s 2-1 comeback win over Plymouth.

Sargent scored his 14th goal of the campaign midway through the second half, equalizing the match off a well-worked routine from a corner kick. Seven minutes later, the Canaries took the lead for good thanks to a Plymouth own goal.

With the win, Norwich made it seven straight victories at home and maintained its spot in the sixth and final playoff position in the Championship table.

Sargent’s 14-goal haul is made even more impressive by the fact he missed four months of the season with an ankle injury. Despite all that time on the sideline, only five players in the Championship have more goals this season than the Missouri native.

After receiving his first call-up since the 2022 World Cup, Sargent was forced off the U.S. men’s national team roster this month with an ankle injury.

The 24-year-old didn’t end up missing any club matches, however, as he was able to return in Norwich’s first game following the international break.

Meanwhile, Sargent’s replacement on the USMNT roster, Haji Wright, also found the net on Friday, as the Coventry City striker scored his 14th of the season in his side’s 3-1 win over Huddersfield.

Watch Sargent’s goal vs. Plymouth

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Norwich boss Wagner: Sargent injury return expected by January

The striker underwent surgery this month for an ankle ligaments injury

Norwich City head coach David Wagner has said Josh Sargent is expected to return from his ankle injury by January.

Sargent underwent surgery after suffering the injury last month in Norwich’s match against Huddersfield. The U.S. men’s national team striker was off to a hot start with the Championship outfit, scoring three goals in four league matches to open the new campaign.

Speaking to reporters, Wagner said he is hopeful that the 23-year-old will return before the new year.

“We saw Josh on Wednesday the first time in the building after his surgery,” Wagner said. “Looks good. Obviously, I’ve spoken with him and he does not need any painkillers any longer, which is the good information. Next week, he gets out of stitches, which is then the next step and it still is the time frame which we set — Christmas, early January — when we hope to have him come back.

“Everything went well so far. But now obviously it’s all about recovery and then to have a proper rehab, and then a proper build up of his fitness,”

Sargent last featured for the USMNT at the World Cup in Qatar, where he played in all three group-stage matches. Overall, the Missouri native has scored five USMNT goals in 23 caps.

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Norwich coach: Sargent will miss ‘months’ with ankle injury

The 23-year-old is set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines

Josh Sargent is set to miss “months, not weeks” with an ankle injury suffered over the weekend, according to Norwich City head coach David Wagner.

Sargent injured his ankle while scoring the opening goal in Saturday’s 4-0 victory over Huddersfield. The striker blocked a clearance from goalkeeper Lee Nicholls and as he leapt to head into an open net, the trailing Nicholls barged him over and landed on his ankle.

Speaking to the media after Tuesday’s Carabao Cup win over Bristol City, Wagner confirmed that Sargent was set to miss a significant portion of the season.

“We still don’t have a clear picture, but what is sure is it’s a serious injury,” Wagner said. “So we speak more about months than weeks. We have to make a further assessment with him.

“He sees a further consultant and I think we have a clearer picture at the end of the week to know how many months and if he needs surgery, but it’s a serious injury, which we expected.”

Asked if the injury was to Sargent’s ankle ligaments, Wagner said: “Exactly.”

The injury is a major blow to club and player, with Sargent scoring three goals in four Championship matches to start to the new campaign. That followed a 13-goal campaign in the Championship last term.

Sargent looks likely to miss U.S. men’s national team matches in September, October and November. The 23-year-old last featured for the USMNT at the World Cup in Qatar, where he played in all three group-stage matches.

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Josh Sargent will return from injury for Norwich City this weekend

The striker has missed two games with a calf problem but is now back in the mix for the Canaries

Norwich City and the U.S. national team got some good news on Friday, as Josh Sargent was declared fit to face Rotherham.

Sargent has missed two consecutive matches with a calf problem, raising fears his availability for the World Cup could come into question.

But speaking at a press conference on Friday, Norwich head coach Dean Smith said Sargent would be ready for Saturday’s game in Rotherham.

“They’re both training with us today so it should be the case that they are available,” Smith said of Sargent and defender Dimitris Giannoulis.

“Sarge is a definite yes. Dimi is one we have to look at, he is just back from a long-term injury.”

Sargent has put himself in the mix for a World Cup roster spot with a stellar campaign for Norwich City so far, scoring eight goals in 17 appearances.

His return will be a boost ahead of next week’s World Cup roster reveal. Several USMNT players are currently battling injuries, including key figures like Weston McKennie, Matt Turner, Chris Richards and Luca de la Torre.

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Berhalter on in-form Sargent: He’s stronger, quicker and more decisive

Things have changed a lot in a year for the Norwich forward

Gregg Berhalter has said the change in Josh Sargent is noticeable since the last time the forward was with the U.S. men’s national team.

Sargent got the call for the USMNT’s friendlies against Japan and Saudi Arabia this month, the team’s final two warm-ups ahead of the World Cup.

It was the first U.S. call for Sargent since September 2021 as the striker rounds into form for Norwich City at the perfect time.

The 22-year-old already has six goals for Norwich this season, leading the Canaries to second place in the Championship table. Sargent managed just two league goals all of last season as Norwich was relegated from the Premier League.

USMNT head coach Berhalter has been impressed with what he’s seen from Sargent after seeing him in camp for the first time in a year.

“He looks great,” the coach told the media ahead of Friday’s game against Japan in Germany.

“Confidence is a big thing but also strength: He’s gotten bigger, he’s gotten stronger, gotten quicker, more decisive with his movements. He’s looked really good in training, and it’s been good to have him in camp. He’s had a tough road but now it shows what he can do when he’s in form.”

Sargent is competing for minutes at forward in this camp alongside Ricardo Pepi and Jesús Ferreira.

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Josh Sargent is on an absolute heater — and Norwich City is in first place

The Canaries have won five straight and the USMNT striker has five goals in those games

Two and a half weeks ago on this website, we posited a theory: There may be hope yet for Josh Sargent — if he can actually play striker.

That story came after Sargent got his first extended minutes at striker since January and, perhaps not coincidentally, scored his first goal since January.

Fast forward a couple weeks and Sargent has more than just hope: He appears to have put himself on the fast track to a USMNT roster spot for this month’s friendlies.

The Missouri native scored and grabbed an assist on Saturday as Norwich City beat Coventry 3-0. The 22-year-old has now scored five goals in five games, completely transforming his standing in the USMNT pool.

Sargent has also completely transformed Norwich’s season. The Canaries didn’t win any of their first three league games before Sargent started against Huddersfield on August 17. Since then, they have won five in a row and now sit atop the Championship table.

The catalyst has been Sargent, who was just named the club’s Player of the Month for August.

“It felt really good to win, big thanks obviously to the team for helping out with that and thanks to the fans,” Sargent told Norwich’s website.

“It’s a great achievement and hopefully I can carry that confidence into the next month.”

Watch Sargent’s goal and assist vs. Coventry

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Josh Sargent strikes again (and again) for Norwich City, boosting USMNT hopes

Sargent as a striker? It’s better than you think!

Josh Sargent is making a great case for the concept of playing him as a striker, and not out wide.

For the second time in just three days, Sargent scored for Norwich City, this time striking twice—and participating in the build-up both times—as the Canaries beat Millwall 2-0.

Coming into the week, Sargent hadn’t scored since January, but the issue was at least partially down to the fact that he was stuck out on the wing, with Teemu Puuki favored as Norwich’s No. 9. With Puuki injured on Tuesday, Sargent scored in a win over Huddersfield, and even with the Finn available against Millwall and the short rest between the games, Dean Smith rewarded that goal with a second straight start as a true center forward.

Sargent, to his credit, ran with the opportunity. He scored the opener on an intricate Norwich move up the middle, combining superbly with Kieran Dowell and Danel Sinani before shooting with power past Bartosz Białkowski in the 50th minute.

Sargent made it a brace in the 75th minute, and in impressive fashion. Norwich cleared an attacking throw-in from Millwall, and Sargent sprinted over to the touchline at midfield, simply trying to keep the ball from being pushed back forward.

Sargent battled away against two Millwall defenders, somehow turning the situation into possession on the break for Norwich. Sargent poked the ball up the wing for Dowell. With Millwall having pushed numbers forward, Dowell played a simple return pass to Sargent, who continued his run into a huge gap in the defense. From there, Sargent made it look easy, taking a touch before expertly shooting past Białkowski to make it 2-0.

Sargent’s sudden run of goals couldn’t have come at a better time in terms of the battle to make the USMNT World Cup roster. Jesús Ferreira and Jordan Pefok have been in good form, while Brandon Vazquez has made a great case for further consideration as well. Sargent still has an uphill battle, with Puuki healthy enough to sub in for him in the final minutes against Millwall, but he couldn’t have done much more this week to get back into the conversation for Gregg Berhalter.

Check out Sargent’s goals for Norwich City

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