USMNT star Ricardo Pepi set to miss two months after breaking arm while scoring for PSV
U.S. men's national team striker Ricardo Pepi suffered a broken arm in his first game back for PSV after the Eredivisie's winter break. The injury came as Pepi scored a goal, extending a recent hot streak that will now be put on hold with the striker eyeing a two-month absence.The incident happened in the 23rd minute of Saturday's clash with Excelsior. With PSV already up 1-0, Pepi broke through on the back post to get onto the end of a Guus Til pass. While the American did get to the ball and finish the play, his sliding effort saw his plant arm bend at a bad angle, and after staying down, Pepi was quickly substituted out of the match, ending his day early.Shortly after the match, PSV released an update on the striker's status, revealing he'll be sidelined for a few months."Ricardo Pepi has suffered a forearm fracture," the club said. " The 23-year-old forward will undergo surgery tomorrow. Pepi is expected to be sidelined for about two months."The injury comes at the worst possible time for Pepi, who went through a similar situation last January. "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 told reporters.Pepi suffered a season-ending knee injury last January during a strong goalscoring run, an issue that did not fully heal until the fall. Since returning, he had worked his way back into form, bringing his season total to 11 goals with Saturday’s strike - eight of them in the Eredivisie in just 716 minutes - before being sidelined once again."Last January Ricardo was already out due to his knee injury," Bosz said. "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."Last season, Pepi's run of form drew interest from Premier League sides, and this season's run was doing the same. Reports indicated that Fulham had made a large offer for the striker, but PSV sporting director Earnie Stewart remained adamant that Pepi wasn't for sale. Now, though, everyone will be solely focused on Pepi's recovery, which should come well before the USMNT decides on a World Cup roster.Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reportingPSV went on to win Saturday's match, 5-1, extending their lead atop the Eredivisie. With the win, they're 14 points clear of second place and will now head to games against Den Bosch in the cup and Fortuna Sittard in the league next week. As for the USMNT, Mauricio Pochettino's side will reconvene in March for friendlies against Portugal and Belgium.
U.S. men's national team striker Ricardo Pepi suffered a broken arm in his first game back for PSV after the Eredivisie's winter break. The injury came as Pepi scored a goal, extending a recent hot streak that will now be put on hold with the striker eyeing a two-month absence.The incident happened in the 23rd minute of Saturday's clash with Excelsior. With PSV already up 1-0, Pepi broke through on the back post to get onto the end of a Guus Til pass. While the American did get to the ball and finish the play, his sliding effort saw his plant arm bend at a bad angle, and after staying down, Pepi was quickly substituted out of the match, ending his day early.Shortly after the match, PSV released an update on the striker's status, revealing he'll be sidelined for a few months."Ricardo Pepi has suffered a forearm fracture," the club said. " The 23-year-old forward will undergo surgery tomorrow. Pepi is expected to be sidelined for about two months."The injury comes at the worst possible time for Pepi, who went through a similar situation last January. "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 told reporters.Pepi suffered a season-ending knee injury last January during a strong goalscoring run, an issue that did not fully heal until the fall. Since returning, he had worked his way back into form, bringing his season total to 11 goals with Saturday’s strike - eight of them in the Eredivisie in just 716 minutes - before being sidelined once again."Last January Ricardo was already out due to his knee injury," Bosz said. "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."Last season, Pepi's run of form drew interest from Premier League sides, and this season's run was doing the same. Reports indicated that Fulham had made a large offer for the striker, but PSV sporting director Earnie Stewart remained adamant that Pepi wasn't for sale. Now, though, everyone will be solely focused on Pepi's recovery, which should come well before the USMNT decides on a World Cup roster.Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reportingPSV went on to win Saturday's match, 5-1, extending their lead atop the Eredivisie. With the win, they're 14 points clear of second place and will now head to games against Den Bosch in the cup and Fortuna Sittard in the league next week. As for the USMNT, Mauricio Pochettino's side will reconvene in March for friendlies against Portugal and Belgium.
