Norwich City's Josh Sargent celebrates scoring their side's first goal of the game during the Sky Bet Championship match at Carrow Road, Norwich. Picture date: Friday August 19, 2022. (Photo by Joe Giddens/PA Images via Getty Images)
USMNT’s Sargent remains red hot, bags Norwich brace in win over Stoke..
Josh Sargent continued a sterling run of form with Norwich City, with the U.S. men’s national team striker drawing praise from manager Johannes Hoff Thorup after striking two goals on Saturday.
Sargent fired home the second and third goals as the Canaries claimed a 4-2 win over Stoke City. The victory moves Norwich within four points of Blackburn in the final promotion playoff position in the Championship.
Hoff Thorup went so far as to say that in terms of being a fit for his side’s style of play, there was no better player in the Championship.
“I think, for what we’re doing here, I think probably [Sargent] is probably the best fit for us,” explained the Danish manager. “He can hold the ball well for us, he can link up with the other offensive players. He has a very good timing when to arrive in the box. And then, you also have to [have] pace that we need sometimes, to be able to run in behind, so I think for the stuff that we do here, I’m not swapping [him] with anyone else.”
Sargent’s good form could be a balm for the USMNT, who are otherwise in a dire situation up top heading into March’s Concacaf Nations League fixtures. PSV striker Ricardo Pepi is done for the season after a knee injury in January, while Folarin Balogun is expected to remain out until mid-April after shoulder surgery.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side will face Panama on March 20 in a semifinal, and (win or lose) will play either Mexico or Canada on March 23.
This latest brace means Sargent has scored seven goals in the club’s last six matches, marking a confident return after the Missouri native was himself sidelined for two months following groin surgery. Despite missing 14 league fixtures in that span, Sargent still has 11 goals and five assists on the season.
Sargent showed alertness and composure to get on the scoresheet against Stoke, reacting quickly amid some chaos in the area before adroitly slotting a shot on the turn home barely two minutes into the second half, restoring Norwich’s lead.
With the game still in reach for the visitors, Sargent made sure the Canaries would claim a win, showing the range of skills in his back pocket with an impressive second goal.
The USMNT forward drove at the retreating Stoke defense before changing angles, then powering a 22-yard left-footed shot past goalkeeper Viktor Johansson.
Hoff Thorup joked at his No. 9’s expense, alluding to a big miss earlier in the match, before praising Sargent for ensuring that the Canaries claimed three points.
“When you don’t want to score just clean in front of a goal where you just make a tap-in then of course there’s another way to do it and score his goals,” deadpanned Hoff Thorup in a post-match press conference. “It was very, very important for us, the timing that he scored that [second goal]. And of course, the top players show top quality in those decisive moments.”
