15 hours ago
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ESPN
Jan 10, 2026, 05:02 PM ET
United States striker Ricardo Pepi suffered a broken forearm while in action for PSV Eindhoven on Saturday and is set to be sidelined for two months, the Dutch club announced.
Pepi, 23, suffered the injury while scoring PSV's second goal midway through the first half of their 5-1 win over Excelsior in the Dutch Eredivisie.
After landing awkwardly and staying down on the field, he had to be helped to the sideline before being substituted.
PSV confirmed the injury after Pepi was taken to hospital, saying that he would undergo surgery 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 said.
The injury comes as a major blow to Pepi just five months before the U.S. begins its World Cup campaign against Paraguay on June 12 at SoFi stadium in Inglewood, California.
The former FC Dallas player could also be a doubt for the team's final friendlies before coach Mauricio Pochettino names his roster for the tournament. The USMNT will take on Belgium on March 28 and Portugal three days later.
Pepi has scored 13 goals in 34 appearances for the U.S. and was part of the most recent roster for wins over Paraguay and Uruguay in November.
His goal Saturday was his 11th in 22 appearances for PSV this season, as he reestablished himself following a knee injury suffered in January that ruled him out of the second half of last season.
"Last January Ricardo was already out due to his knee injury," Bosz added. "It won't last that long now, but unfortunately we lost him again. Pepi was on a good run, had a strong training camp and was all the way back. He became more confident and was in that good flow again.
"All signs were green for a strong second half of the season, so this is incredibly disappointing. First and foremost for him and obviously for us as well."
