Josh Sargent joined Toronto from Norwich City in England's second-tier League Championship on Friday, ending a difficult situation in which the striker was exiled to the under-21 squad after he refused to play in an FA Cup match last month.
Sargent, 26, was signed as a designated player through the 2030-31 Major League Soccer season. He had eight goals this season and 56 goals in 157 appearances with the Canaries overall.
“Regardless of the manner of his departure, Josh has been a significant part of the club’s recent story, contributing greatly and captaining the team on many occasions," Norwich sporting director Ben Knapper said in a statement. "He now moves on and we wish him well for his next step, and for his future beyond.”
Sargent is a Missouri native who signed with Germany’s Werder Bremen in 2018 and joined Norwich three years later. A member of the 2022 U.S. World Cup team, he appears to be behind Folarin Balogun, Haji Wright, Ricardo Pepi and Patrick Agyemang in the competition for forward spots on the 2026 World Cup roster.
“He brings high-level experience in some of the strongest leagues in the world and international pedigree at just 26 years old. He is a proven goal scorer, with a winning mentality and the intelligence that will lead our attack for years to come," Toronto general manager Jason Hernandez said. “Josh will just begin to enter the prime of his career while representing our club and our city.”
Sargent has five goals in 29 international appearances, scoring in his U.S. debut against Bolivia on May 28, 2018. He played in all three group stage matches at the 2022 World Cup.
But he hasn't scored an international goal since November 2019 and was not on the U.S. roster for last summer's CONCACAF Gold Cup. His last international appearance was when he started in a September friendly against South Korea.
Toronto acquired St. Louis' right of first refusal for Sargent in exchange for $500,000 in General Allocation Money over the next two years and additional funds if performance metrics are met.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
FILE - United States's Josh Sargent looks on prior to a friendly soccer match against Japan, Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean, file)
CONCORD, N.C. (AP) — Kyle Busch died after severe pneumonia progressed into sepsis, resulting in rapid and overwhelming associated complications, according to a statement released by his family.
Dakota Hunter, vice president of Kyle Busch Companies, said in a news release the family received the medical evaluation on Saturday.
Busch, a two-time NASCAR champion, died at 41 on Thursday, a day after passing out in a Chevrolet simulator.
Sepsis is considered a life-threatening medical emergency that occurs when the body has an extreme, overactive response to an infection, causing the immune system to damage its own tissues and organs, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Typically the immune system releases chemicals to fight off pathogens like bacteria, viruses or fungi, but with sepsis the response goes into overdrive. The results can cause widespread inflammation, form microscopic blood clots and make blood vessels leak.
Busch was thought to have had a sinus cold while racing at Watkins Glen on May 10 and radioed in to his team saying that he needed a “shot” from a doctor after the race.
However, he bounced back to win the Trucks Series race at Dover last weekend, and then he finished 17th in the All-Star race on Sunday.
Busch, who was preparing to race Sunday at the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, was testing in the Chevrolet racing simulator in Concord on Wednesday when he became unresponsive and was transported to a hospital in Charlotte, several people familiar with the situation told The Associated Press.
During the emergency call placed late that afternoon, an unidentified caller calmly told the dispatch: “I’ve got an individual that’s (got) shortness of breath, very hot, thinks he’s going to pass out, and is producing a little bit of blood, coughing up some blood.”
The caller said Busch was lying on the bathroom floor inside the complex and told dispatch “he is awake,” according to audio provided by the Cabarrus County Sheriff’s Office. The man then gave directions on where emergency responders should go and asked that they turn off any sirens upon arrival.
NASCAR driver Brad Keselowski said he knew Busch wasn’t feeling well recently.
“Yes, but I won’t go into any specifics," Keselowski said. “But then when he ran the Truck race last week, those (thoughts) were honestly kind of erased in my mind.”
Keselowski said running multiple races on the same weekend can be difficult on a driver's health — but most don't want to miss a race for fear of being replaced.
“There’s no shortage of drivers that would love to take my seat or anybody else’s seat if we weren’t feeling well, and I think every driver feels that pressure,” Keselowski said. “All athletes do. It’s not unique to NASCAR in that sense. We’re all thinking to ourselves, ‘I don’t wanna be replaced.’ ... So you try to power through it the best you can."
Busch won 234 races across NASCAR’s top three series over his two-decade career, more than any driver in history.
All 39 drivers in the field for Sunday’s race will race with a black No. 8 decal on their car to honor Busch.
AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
An in memoriam photo of former driver Kyle Busch is displayed on the video board of the backstretch at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Friday, May 22, 2026, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)
FILE - Kyle Busch waits for the start of a NASCAR Xfinity Series auto race Saturday, June 19, 2021, in Lebanon, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File)
