Americans Abroad: Josh Sargent inspires Norwich to victory, Daryl Dike out with injury

Americans abroad are back at it again.

USMNT forward Josh Sargent made himself known in the Premier League over the weekend, scoring twice for Norwich City to move his team out of relegation zone on the table for the first time this season.

In La Liga, meanwhile, Valencia's Yunus Musah netted his first goal of the season against Atletico Madrid.

Here's the latest action of USMNT playing abroad...

1. Daryl Dike injured during West Bromwich debut

Daryl Dike earned his first start with West Bromwich Albion on Saturday against Peterborough United, playing just over 52 minutes in the 3-0 English Football League Championship win. 

But the night ended in frustration for the forward as he walked off the pitch with a hamstring injury. He is now expected to miss at least two weeks, sitting out two league matches as a result.

“We lost Daryl Dike to injury and we will see what the situation is on Monday with him,” West Brom manager Valentin Ismael said.

“We will see on Monday when he has a scan, but for sure the next two games he will miss because we cannot afford to take any risks now, especially after the Millwall game we have another 11 days. Now he can have 20 days to get ready for the Sheffield United game if the injury is not too bad.”

Dike joined West Brom from Orlando City in early January for a reported $10m deal. 

2. Bryan Reynolds earns loan to Kortrijk

USMNT player Bryan Reynolds joined Belgian Pro League side KV Kortrijk on a season-long loan, leaving AS Roma after a frustrating time with the club. He now joins Brendan Hines-Ike and Erik Palmer-Brown as former American players to play for Kortrijk in recent seasons.

The 21-year-old earned the transfer to AS Roma in January 2021 after a loan spell with the club, but has since then only recorded eight appearances under manager Jose Mourinho. 

Reynolds is a product of the FC Dallas academy, and recorded 31 appearances in Major League Soccer before going abroad. 

3. Josh Sargent earns praise after breakout performance

Josh Sargent earned Friday’s Man of the Match after scoring twice in Norwich City’s 3-0 victory against Watford, inspiring the side to move out of the relegation zone for the first time this season. 

The USMNT player thrived in the 4-4-2 formation, working on the right wing to land his first Premier League goals. 

“I’m really pleased for him,” manager Dean Smith said about Sargent in his post-match interview. “It endears him to the supporters, they were singing his name. It’s been coming, he’s not playing in probably his favored position. But his work ethic is tremendous and his physicality helps us.

“We’ve sacrificed a man in midfield at the moment because we feel it’s worth it,” Smith added. “In other games we might have to change that. But delighted for Sarge. He had a newborn the other week so I’m sure he’ll dedicate the goals to his family.”

Sargent was equally as pleased with his display on the pitch. 

“It’s huge for us,” Sargent said. “Getting two wins in a row is massive for the guys and the confidence. Hopefully we can take that into the next games. To get the first goal and put the game away with the second and third showed our character that we kept wanting to push on and I’m proud of the boys tonight.

“It’s about time for us to be clinical. Hopefully we can continue that in the next games."

4. Yunus Musah scored his first goal of the season for Valencia

Musah finally found his way to the scoresheet this season for Valencia. Despite the frustrating 3-2 loss against Atletico Madrid, Musah celebrated his efforts on the front foot. 

The midfielder had yet to score since December 2020, displaying huge strides in progress. 

Musah needed only 25 minutes to break the 0-0 deadline at the Wanda Metropolitano, driving a low shot into the bottom-left corner. It was his fourth goal of the season across all competitions.