USMNT's Pepi 'very close' to return from injury

PSV Eindhoven and U.S. men's nationalist team striker Ricardo Pepi revealed he's "very close" to seeing a instrumentality to the transportation aft suffering a genu injury during a Champions League Match against Liverpool successful January.

Though Pepi scored the game-winning extremity successful that 3-2 triumph implicit the Premier League giants connected Jan. 29, helium was forced to permission the transportation successful the 76th minute. The guardant past underwent meniscus country successful the United States pursuing the injury, forcing him to the sidelines for the remainder of the 2024-2025 campaign and this summer's Concacaf Gold Cup with the USMNT.

Now, Pepi said he's adjacent to being 100% arsenic helium prepares for the upcoming campaign.

"It's amazing. I've been waiting for the past 5 months and present I americium backmost connected the transportation with the team," Pepi told ESPN. "I deliberation I americium truly adjacent [to being back] I deliberation about, astir adjacent to 100%, doing the past small steps and past I volition beryllium back.

"It's 1 of those things wherever you are conscionable ace impatient to get backmost to the field, it's ace important to instrumentality the close steps due to the fact that you cannot unreserved an injury. It's astir erstwhile your assemblage feels acceptable to beryllium backmost and present I americium precise adjacent to being backmost and ace excited to get this play going."

Pepi heads into the play with a caller mindset and garment number, precocious taking up PSV's No. 9 from departing skipper Luuk de Jong. The erstwhile FC Dallas subordinate insists a caller fig comes with higher expectations to perform.

"I deliberation they person truly large expectations but nary 1 has much expectations connected maine than myself. It's a bully equilibrium betwixt helping the squad retired and besides achieving my goals," said Pepi.

"I deliberation it'll beryllium a bully twelvemonth for sure, the past 2 seasons we've gotten a sensation of what I tin bash truthful it'll beryllium absorbing to spot this year."

Pepi concluded the 2024-25 run with 17 goals successful each competitions for PSV, signaling 1 extremity less than erstwhile skipper De Jong contempt the genu injury. Beyond the Eredivisie, Pepi hopes to impressment with PSV successful bid to beryllium portion of the USMNT roster for the 2026 World Cup.

"It's ever been a extremity of excavation [to scope the World Cup] truthful I person to absorption connected what I bash astatine a nine level to adjacent get determination I americium sure, and I got to instrumentality attraction of concern present astatine PSV," said Pepi.

Pepi past featured for the USMNT connected Nov. 18, 2024, scoring successful the team's 4-2 triumph implicit Jamaica successful the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal.