USMNT REWIND: Strikers Josh Sargent, Haji Wright and Jordan Pefok Continue to Produce
Sargent Tallies Fourth Goal in Three Matches; Wright Records Second Brace of the Season; Pefok Provides Two Assists
Three U.S. Men’s National Team strikers continued their hot start to their respective 2022-23 seasons last week.
Josh Sargent struck for the game-winning goal for Norwich City in the English Championship.
Haji Wright connected for another brace for Antalyaspor in the Turkish Süper Lig.
Jordan Pefok surprisingly did not find the net but set up his Union Berlin teammates twice in a romp.
THE SPIRIT OF 76
Forward Josh Sargent tapped in Aaron Ramsey's left-wing cross to score the lone goal in Norwich City's 1-0 win at Sunderland on Saturday, Aug. 27.
This man is in form!! Sargent's goal #USMNT pic.twitter.com/JQOY9XuhdJ
Sargent has found the net four times in his last three matches for Norwich (3-2-1, 10 points), which stands fourth in the English Championship, two points out of first place.
BRACE FOR IT
Haji Wright's second successive brace could not save Antalyaspor from a 5-2 loss at Gaziantepspor in the Turkish Super Lig on Friday, Aug. 26. The 24-year-old forward found the net in the 30th and 40th minutes to give the visitors a 2-1 edge, but they couldn't hold the lead, surrendering four consecutive goals.
Wright turned a through ball from Fredy into a 1-1 tie on the half hour. Ten minutes later, Fredy set up Wright again as Luiz Adriano dummied the ball and USMNT striker made it 2-1.
HAJI WRIGHT ON FIRE
pic.twitter.com/DjpQHdz6eU
He has tallied five goals in four league appearances this season, trailing Fenerbahce's Enner Valencia (six goals) in the Golden Boot race.
NO GOALS, BUT TWO ASSISTS
Striker Jordan Pefok did not score this week, but he assisted twice to help Union Berlin to a 6-1 triumph at Schalke on Saturday, Aug. 27. Pefok, who has tallied twice in four in Bundesliga appearances with his new team, set up goals by Sheraldo Becker in the 36th minute and another Becker tally 10 minutes later.
Pefok has two goals and three assists in the first four matches of the Bundesliga season.
CLINCHING A SPOT
Strong play by Malik Tillman set up on the only goal for Rangers in their 1-0 win at PSV in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League playoff last Wednesday. The win clinched a spot for Rangers in the tournament’s group stage for the first time since the 2010-11 season.
In the 60th minute, PSV goalkeeper Walter Benitez played a short pass out to Andre Ramalho on the edge of the penalty area. A pressing Tillman won the ball and squared it to Antonio Colak, who tapped it home into the empty net from close range. USMNT teammate James Sands also played 90 minutes in the match.
USMNT midfielder Malik Tillman could have just assisted the goal that sends Rangers into the #UCL knockout stage.
Tillman, Sands and their Rangers teammates have their work cut out in the UCL as they were placed in Group A along with Liverpool, Ajax and Napoli. The Scottish Premiership side will return to the Netherlands for its first UCL match at Ajax on Wednesday, Sept. 7.
It also turned into a pretty good week for both players as they helped Rangers register a pair of clean sheets. The squad blanked Ross County, 4-0, in the Scottish Premiership on Saturday, Aug. 27.
GOING ON THE OFFENSIVE
During his first MLS tenure with the New York Red Bulls, Matt Miazga wasn't known as a center back who filled the net (one goal in 34 appearances). He is rapidly changing his reputation with FC Cincinnati by scoring twice within an eight-day period.
Following his goal in the 1-1 draw at the Red Bulls on Aug. 20, Miazga struck again in Cincy's 2-2 home tie with the Columbus Crew on Saturday, Aug. 27.
Miazga's deflected shot from atop the box and nestled into the net to give Cincy a 2-1 lead in the 77th minute and himself two goals in three contests since joining the club this summer.
TOO HOT TO HANDLE.
PENALTY-KICK HERO
After coming on as a substitute in the 86th minute, Konrad de la Fuente converted a penalty kick in the shootout to boost Olympiakos over visiting Apollon in the tie-breaker of the Europa League Playoffs on Thursday, Aug. 25. The teams played to a 1-1 draw in the second leg of the aggregate goals series, which ended in a 2-2 deadlock.
De la Fuente put away Olympiakos' second attempt in the shootout, en route to a 3-1 win. The Greek side will compete in Group G, along with Qarabag, Freiburg and Nantes. Olympiakos will visit Nantes in its first match on Sept. 8.
ON THE MEND
Seattle Sounders midfielder Cristian Roldan is expected to miss four to six weeks after undergoing a sports hernia surgery. on Tuesday, Aug. 25. Roldan, who was suffering from left athletic pubalgia, has four goals and five assists in 20 games this season.
FULL RUNDOWN
-- Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United; English Premier League) - 82 minutes in 1-0 loss at Brighton & Hove Albion (Aug. 27)
-- Kellyn Acosta (Los Angeles FC; MLS) - 90 minutes in 4-1 loss at Austin FC (Aug. 26)
-- Tyler Adams (Leeds United; English Premier League) - 90 minutes in 1-0 loss at Brighton & Hove Albion (Aug. 27)
-- Paul Arriola (FC Dallas; MLS) - 90 minutes in 1-1 draw vs. Real Salt Lake (Aug. 27)
-- Cole Bassett (Fortuna Sittard; Dutch Eredivisie) - 45 minutes in 2-1 loss at Heerenveen (Aug. 27)
-- George Bello (Arminia Bielefeld; 2. Bundesliga) - 3 minutes as a substitute in 4-1 win vs. Eintracht Braunschweig (Aug. 26)
-- Gianluca Busio (Venezia; Italian Serie B) - Not in 18, DNP in 1-1 draw at Cittadella (Aug. 28)
-- Reggie Cannon (Boavista; Portuguese Primeira) - 90 minutes in 3-0 loss vs. Benfica (Aug. 27)
-- Johnny Cardoso (Internacional; Brazilian Serie A) – at Avaí (Monday, 7 p.m. ET); 72 minutes in 1-0 win vs. Juventude (Aug. 22)
-- Cameron Carter-Vickers (Celtic; Scottish Premiership) - 90 minutes in 9-0 win at Dundee United (Aug. 28)
-- Konrad de la Fuente (Olympiakos; Greek Super League) - vs. Asteras Tripolis (Monday, noon, ET); 26 minutes as a substitute in in 1-1 draw vs. Apollon (3-1 shoot winners) in Europa League Playoffs (Aug. 25)
-- Luca de la Torre (Celta Vigo; Spain La Liga) - In 18, DNP in 1-0 win at Girona (Aug. 26)
- Sergiño Dest (Barcelona; Spain La Liga) - Not in 18, DNP in 4-0 win vs. Real Valladolid (Aug. 28)
-- Jesús Ferreira (FC Dallas; MLS) - 90 minutes in 1-1 draw vs. Real Salt Lake (Aug. 27)
-- Nicholas Gioacchini (Orlando City; MLS) - In 18, DNP in 2-1 win vs. New York City FC (Aug. 28)
-- Matthew Hoppe (Middlesbrough; English Championship) - Not in 18, DNP in 2-1 win vs. Swansea City (Aug. 27)
-- Ethan Horvath (Luton Town; English Championship) - 90 minutes in 1-1 draw vs. Sheffield United (Aug. 26)
-- Sean Johnson (New York City FC; MLS) - 90 minutes in 2-1 loss at Orlando City SC (Aug. 28)
-- Sebastian Lletget (FC Dallas; MLS) - 86 minutes in 1-1 draw vs. Real Salt Lake (Aug. 27)
-- Aaron Long (New York Red Bulls; MLS) - 68 minutes in 3-1 win vs. Inter Miami CF (Aug. 27)
-- Weston McKennie (Juventus; Italy Serie A) - 13 minutes as a substitute in 1-1 draw vs. Roma (Aug. 27); 62 minutes in 0-0 draw at Sampdoria (Aug. 22)
-- Mark McKenzie (Genk; Belgian Pro League) - 90 minutes 4-0 win at Sérésien (Aug. 27)
-- Matt Miazga (FC Cincinnati; MLS) - 90 minutes, GOAL, in 2-2 draw vs. Columbus Crew (Aug. 27)
-- Djordje Milhailovic (CF Montreal; MLS) - 67 minutes in 2-0 win at Chicago Fire (Aug. 27)
-- Shaq Moore (Nashville SC; MLS) - In 18, DNP in 3-0 win at Vancouver Whitecaps (Aug. 27)
-- Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders FC; MLS) - 90 minutes in 2-1 loss at Portland Timbers (Aug. 26)
-- Yunus Musah (Valencia; Spain La Liga) - vs. Atletico Madrid (Monday, 4 p.m. ET)
-- Erik Palmer-Brown (Troyes; French Ligue 1) - 90 minutes in 3-1 win vs. Angers (Aug. 28)
-- Kevin Paredes (Wolfsburg; Bundesliga) - Not in 18, DNP in 2-0 loss at RB Leipzig (Aug. 27)
-- Ricardo Pepi (Augsburg; Bundesliga) - 56 minutes in 1-0 loss at Hoffenheim (Aug. 27)
-- Christian Pulisic (Chelsea; English Premier League) - 15 minutes as a substitute in 2-1 win vs. Leicester City (Aug. 27)
-- Tim Ream (Fulham; English Premier League) - 88 minutes in 2-1 loss at Arsenal (Aug. 27); Not in 18, DNP in 2-0 loss at Crawley Town in EFL Cup (Aug. 23)
-- Gio Reyna (Borussia Dortmund; Bundesliga) - Not in 18, DNP in 1-0 win at Hertha Berlin (Aug. 27)
-- Bryan Reynolds (Westerlo; Belgian Pro League) - In 18, DNP in 1-0 loss vs. Eupen (Aug. 28)
-- Chris Richards (Crystal Palace; English Premier League) - 33 minutes as a substitute in 4-2 loss at Manchester City (Aug. 27); 90 minutes in 2-0 win at Oxford United in EFL Cup (Aug. 23)
-- Antonee Robinson (Fulham; English Premier League) - 90 minutes in 2-1 loss at Arsenal (Aug. 27); Not in 18, DNP in 2-0 loss at Crawley Town in EFL Cup (Aug. 23)
-- James Sands (Rangers; Scottish Premiership) - 45 minutes in 4-0 win vs. Ross County (Aug. 27); 90 minutes in 1-0 win at PSV in UCL (Aug. 24)
-- Josh Sargent (Norwich City; English Championship) - 90 minutes, GOAL, in 1-0 win at Sunderland (Aug. 27); Not in 18, DNP in 2-2 draw (5-3 loss in PKs) vs. Bournemouth in EFL Cup (Aug. 23)
-- Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach; Bundesliga) - 90 minutes in 1-1 draw at Bayern Munich (Aug. 27)
-- Gaga Slonina (Chicago Fire; MLS) - 90 minutes in 2-0 loss vs. Montreal CF (Aug. 27)
-- Zack Steffen (Middlesbrough; English Championship) - Injured, DNP in 2-1 win vs. Swansea City (Aug. 27)
-- Malik Tillman (Rangers; Scottish Premiership) - 62 minutes in 4-0 win vs. Ross County (Aug. 27); 90 minutes, ASSIST, in 1-0 win at PSV in UCL (Aug. 24)
-- Auston Trusty (Birmingham City; English Championship) - 90 minutes in 2-0 loss at Rotherham United (Aug. 27)
-- Matt Turner (Arsenal; English Premier League) - In 18, DNP in 2-1 win vs. Fulham (Aug. 27)
-- Sam Vines (Royal Antwerp; Belgian Pro League) - 90 minutes in 2-0 win at Gent (Aug. 28); 90 minutes in 3-1 win vs. Istanbul Basaksehir in Europa Conference League Playoffs (Aug. 25)
-- Tim Weah (Lille; French Ligue 1) – Injured, DNP in 3-1 win at Ajaccio (Aug. 26)
-- DeAndre Yedlin (Inter Miami CF; MLS) - 90 minutes in 3-1 loss at New York Red Bulls (Aug. 27)
-- Jackson Yueill (San Jose Earthquakes; MLS) - 90 minutes in 1-0 loss at Sporting Kansas City (Aug. 27)
-- Eryk Williamson (Portland Timbers; MLS) - 90 minutes in 2-1 win vs. Seattle Sounders (Aug. 26)
-- Haji Wright (Antalyaspor; Turkish Super Lig) - 90 minutes, TWO GOALS, in 5-2 loss at Gaziantepspor (Aug. 26)
-- Gyasi Zardes (Colorado Rapids; MLS) - 45 minutes in 6-0 loss at Philadelphia Union (Aug. 27)
-- Walker Zimmerman (Nashville SC; MLS) - In 18, DNP in 3-0 win at Vancouver Whitecaps (Aug. 27)