Another injury has hit the United States men’s national team with the Eredivisie returning from their winter break as striker Ricardo Pepi had to be withdrawn from PSV’s match versus Excelsior in the 26th minute after breaking his arm. The former FC Dallas man collided with the post when scoring, with the club confirming a forearm fracture.
“The 23-year-old forward will undergo surgery [Sunday]. Pepi is expected to be sidelined for about two months,” PSV posted on social media.
This puts his status for the March international break’s big games against Portugal and Belgium in the air, but these are games when Pepi will be needed. Any injury to players can potentially put their participation in the 2026 World Cup at risk. We’re now only 152 days out from the World Cup kicking off in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, which isn’t very much time if an injury causes a player to miss a few months. Pepi’s injury comes during a good run of form for the striker.
That goal was the fifth consecutive Eredivisie game that Pepi has scored in for PSV as he’s pushing for a consistent starting role at the club while also solidifying his place as the number two striker for the USMNT behind Folarin Balogun. A strong change of pace option off the bench for the USMNT, Pepi now has 11 goals and two assists in 22 appearances for PSV in all competitions. He’s been especially effective in Champions League play, where he has scored three goals and assisted one more in only 149 minutes of play.
Despite that success, Pepi didn’t see it translate to national team play during 2025. Only making one appearance for 15 minutes under Mauricio Pochettino, he’s someone who has something to prove in these upcoming matches, which is where any kind of injury can be a concern. Pepi hasn’t scored for the USMNT since November of 2024, but as one of the most talented young players in the pool, he’ll be pushing for a spot at the World Cup if given opportunities to prove himself.
Ahead of the 2022 World Cup, Pepi left FC Dallas for FC Augsburg in a move that could not have gone worse, ultimately contributing to him missing out on the 2022 World Cup roster. During the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons, Pepi played in 16 matches for the German club and failed to score. He regained his form at Groningen on loan in 2022-23, scoring 13 goals in 31 games before his move to PSV ahead of the 2023-24 season, averaging over double-digit goals each season since.
