Sargent reveals he had 'goosebumps' after scoring to keep Werder Bremen's Bundesliga hopes alive

Josh Sargent says that he had "goosebumps" after scoring for Werder Bremen over the weekend, with the U.S. men's national team forward's long-awaited goal helping keep his side's Bundesliga hopes alive.

Sargent scored Werder Bremen's sixth and final goal against Koln over the weekend, helping seal a 6-1 win on the final day of the season.

The victory gives Werder Bremen the chance to remain in the Bundesliga, with the club qualifying for the relegation playoff.

Saturday's win saw Werder Bremen leapfrog fellow USMNT stars Zack Steffen, Alfredo Morales and Fortuna Dusseldorf, who will be relegated to the 2. Bundesliga.

Werder Bremen, meanwhile, will face Heidenheim in a two-leg playoff with the winner earning a spot in the Bundesliga.

On a personal level, the goal was Sargent's fourth of the season, but only his second goal since October.

"I have worked hard for this," Sargent told Werder.TV. "Finally I’ve scored the goal. It was just like: what’s happening here? It was crazy.”

He added: “I had goosebumps. I think everyone felt the same: I can’t believe what just happened. We always said that we will fight until the end. That was a very proud moment for the team."

When Sargent came onto the pitch as a substitute in the second half of Saturday's victory, he was the only player on the field that knew Werder Bremen's situation.

The club needed a win and a Dusseldorf loss to leapfrog their relegation rivals, with Sargent aware that Union Berlin were dominating in the other key match.

“I spoke to Niklas Moisander after the game and he said he had no idea what the score was in Berlin until they announced in the stadium that it was 3-0 to Union,” he said.

Sargent, who joined Bremen in 2017, has made 32 appearances for the club in all competitions this season.

That comes on the heels of a 2018-19 campaign that saw him make his first-team debut, scoring two goals across 10 matches for the German side.

Sargent and Werder Bremen will host Heidenheim in the first leg of their playoff on Thursday before visiting the 2. Bundesliga side on Monday for the second leg.

"We now have two more games left," Sargent said. "And we will continue fighting.”