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.
Paxten Aaronson
Paxten Aaronson was the hero for FC Utrecht on Sunday in a league win over AZ Alkmaar.
Aaronson came off the bench and scored the winning goal in a 2-1 triumph. It marked the Eintracht Frankfurt loanee’s first goal for the club since arriving on loan last summer.
The 21-year-old has continued to rack up the playing time in the Netherlands yet again this season.
Josh Sargent
Norwich City earned three points at Pride Park on Saturday with Josh Sargent assisting twice in the result.
Sargent set up Borja Sainz twice in a 3-2 victory over Derby County, delivering one of his better performance so far. The USMNT forward was a thorn in the Rams backline’s sides all day, showing he is more than just a goalscorer in the final third.
What did you think of these individual performances this past weekend? Was there anyone left off the list that you would’ve added?
Share your thoughts below.
