Foot & Soccer Soccer Match Reports, Football News
Ricardo Pepi answered the call for PSV in his first league start of the 2024-25 Eredivisie season.
Pepi scored twice on Saturday in PSV’s 2-0 road victory over Willem II, giving the American forward his first brace at club level since October 2022. The U.S. men’s national team forward earned SBI Americans Abroad Player of the Week honors in the process.
Pepi’s 49th minute headed finish propelled PSV into a 1-0 lead before the former FC Dallas homegrown slotted in his second goal of the half only 17 minutes later. PSV would hang on to remain unbeaten in league play as Pepi walked away with his best performance of the season to date.
Pepi mainly served as a substitute last season for PSV, but now has gained a major momentum boost following his performance on Saturday. With UEFA Champions League play coming midweek, the 21-year-old will be eager to remain in the starting lineup.
New USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino will surely be watching if Pepi can continue his trek upward in the striker pecking order.
Here is a look at some of the other top Americans Abroad performers from this past week:
Folarin Balogun
Make it back-to-back goalscoring performance for Folarin Balogun.
Balogun started, scored once, and played 90 minutes as Monaco defeated Montpellier 2-1 in Ligue 1 play Saturday. The USMNT forward tied the match for Adolf Hutter’s squad before the hosts used a 98th minute winner to seal all three points.
Balogun’s form is moving up after scoring in consecutive matches.
Christian Pulisic
The good times continue to roll for Christian Pulisic.
Pulisic made it four-straight matches with a goal as AC Milan defeated Lecce 3-0 on Friday. The USMNT winger capped off a dominant first half for the Rossoneri, who made it back-to-back victories in league play.
Dating back to September USMNT duty, Pulisic has now scored in five-straight matches which is a personal best.
