An injury suffered in the Netherlands on Saturday is reverberating through the United States, and its ramifications could last into the summer.
American striker Ricardo Pepi suffered a broken arm while playing for Dutch club team PSV Eindhoven and is expected to undergo surgery Sunday and be sidelined for two months.
While that should not keep the 23-year-old from competing for the U.S. men’s national team when it cohosts the FIFA World Cup next June and July, but he will likely miss a pair of friendlies that will serve as the USMNT’s final warmups before the big tournament.
Pepi was injured while scoring his team’s second goal in an eventual 5-1 win over Excelsior in Dutch Eredivisie league play. Pepi landed awkwardly, stayed on the pitch for some time, then was helped to the sideline.
After the game, PSV confirmed the nature of the injury and that surgery would take place on Sunday.
“It didn’t look good right away, and at such a moment you would prefer to look the other way,” PSV head coach Peter Bosz reportedly said.
The USMNT opens the World Cup against Paraguay on June 12 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. While a two-month absence would not impact Pepi’s availability for that match, his ability to play in a pair of friendlies — against Belgium on March 28 and Portugal on March 31 — certainly could.
USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino will name the World Cup roster after those matches.
Pepi has 13 goals and three assists in 34 career caps for the national team. He most recently played of the USMNT in victories in friendlies against Panama in October and Paraguay in November.
–Field Level Media
