Pepi Calls PSV Injury Scare a 'Minor Setback' Amid USMNT Absence

Ricardo Pepi, the 23-year-old PSV Eindhoven striker, was subbed off early in Tuesday's Eredivisie match against FC Twente with an injury that forced the U.S. men's national team to pull him from its September-October roster, the forward and his club confirmed in statements reported by the New York Post.

Pepi called the issue a "minor setback" in a message posted to PSV's website. "Thanks to everyone for the warm messages," he said. "Unfortunately, this is just a minor setback. I have already started my recovery to be back as soon as possible and help the team."

What happened to Ricardo Pepi against FC Twente?

Pepi came off early in the top-flight Dutch match against FC Twente, according to the Post's report. Neither PSV nor Pepi disclosed the nature of the injury or a target return date in the statements cited. The club has not said how long Pepi will be out, a gap that leaves both PSV and U.S. Soccer without a firm recovery window heading into a busy fall schedule for both sides.

Why does the timing matter for the USMNT?

The injury hit during the first U.S. camp since the World Cup concluded this summer, when Pepi appeared in all five of the Americans' matches. Head coach Mauricio Pochettino had called Pepi into the September-October window before the injury forced a change. With Pepi sidelined, the U.S. squad is set to play four friendlies during the window — against Peru, Chile, Mexico and Canada — as Pochettino continues building toward the CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinals in November, the first competitive matches since the World Cup.

Who replaces Pepi on the U.S. roster?

Pochettino replaced Pepi with St. Louis City SC attacker Damion Downs, according to the Post. The swap gives Downs an opportunity in a camp already thinned by absences: World Cup contributors Folarin Balogun and Christian Pulisic were left off the roster as well, though for different reasons tied to their own health situations rather than a fresh injury. Pulisic scored his first goal of the season for AC Milan over the weekend, and Balogun made his first appearance for AS Monaco as a substitute — both signs the pair are working back into club form even without a U.S. call-up.

"Unfortunately, this is just a minor setback. I have already started my recovery to be back as soon as possible and help the team." — Ricardo Pepi

When does PSV need Pepi back on the field?

PSV does not play again until Oct. 9 against Heerenveen, giving Pepi roughly two and a half weeks before that fixture. The club faces eight matches across multiple competitions in the stretch ahead, according to the Post's reporting, meaning any extended absence would land during a compressed run of Eredivisie and continental fixtures rather than a quiet stretch on the calendar.

Is Pepi's absence part of a broader USMNT camp pattern?

Pepi's is one of several notable absences from this camp, the Post noted, with Balogun and Pulisic also missing despite both showing on-field activity for their clubs in the days around the U.S. roster announcement. Pochettino said last week that the "doors are open for everyone," a comment that applies to returning World Cup contributors as the coach resets the player pool for the Nations League quarterfinals in November. For now, the September-October window proceeds without three of the attacking players who featured for the U.S. over the summer, with Downs stepping into Pepi's slot for the friendlies against Peru, Chile, Mexico and Canada.

Neither PSV nor U.S. Soccer has issued a revised timetable beyond Pepi's own statement that recovery is already underway. The next scheduled test of that recovery is PSV's Oct. 9 match against Heerenveen, with the Nations League quarterfinals in November standing as the next opportunity for Pepi to rejoin the national team if healthy.

Artiglio is A coming-soon iPhone chief of staff for briefings and drafts. Not on the App Store yet.