Josh Sargent from Werder Bremen begins to feel the benefits of missing the Concacaf Gold Cup with USMNT

US striker Josh Sargent said he was disappointed after being knocked out of the Concacaf Gold Cup this summer, but he begins to "see the positives" as he uses it to power his first Werder team Bremen.

The 19-year-old was ruled out of Gregg Berhalter's squad before the tournament despite his breakthrough in the Bundesliga last season. He acknowledged that his omission was a blow because he thought it could have been a rewarding experience.

However, after watching his international counterparts reach the final before bowing to Mexico, Sargent now admits that he has reversed his discontent and that he is now using it to bolster his chances first team before the new national campaign in Germany.

"It was disappointing at first not to be in the Gold Cup," he told reporters after his club's pre-season match against Cologne.

"I could have learned a lot there and I needed time to get in early and not be called.

"Now, I see the positives. I can participate fully in Werder's pre-season preparations. Obviously, the starting line is my goal. "

On the plus side, there was the only goal of the match against Cologne in Sunday's pre-season friendly with the Missouri-born striker getting a confident finish in front of Timo Horn.

And that confidence did not go unnoticed on the Werder bench, coach Florian Kohfeldt said after the match: "Josh is unbelievably clinical when he enters the opposing court.

"He has worked very hard and is in excellent shape, which is great for him and for us, but he is not without competition in attack."

The competition previously mentioned by Sargent at Die Werderaneris is both varied and challenging. Milot Rashica, Yuya Osako, Claudio Pizarro and Niclas Fullkrug compete for first place in Kohfeldt.

But after making his debut last December and finishing the 2018-1919 season with two goals in 10 league games, the teenager hopes that will be the same in the months to come.

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"I'm happy with the way things went and my goal (against Cologne)," he said.

"We worked hard on things at the training, and I may be in the shape of my life!

"It's only a trip to Germany so far for me. Hope this can continue. I want to help at least qualify for the Europa League. "