In the aftermath of the match-winning Champions League goal he scored against title favorites Liverpool on Wednesday, Ricardo Pepi seemed unstoppable.
It was the U.S. men's national team forward's 18th strike this season and his second in the world's most prestigious club competition, and the clearest proof yet that the 21-year-old Texan has earned the right to be the undisputed starting forward for both the USMNT and Dutch champs PSV Eindhoven.
Those plans will have to wait. Pepi suffered a knee injury in the second half of PSV's 3-2 victory over the Reds that could sideline him for two months, a source with knowledge of the situation confirmed to FOX Sports on Thursday following multiple media reports in the Netherlands.
The severity of the ailment is still being assessed, the source added. But if the initial timeline is accurate, it would rule Pepi out of the U.S.'s Concacaf Nations League semifinal against Panama on March 20 and a potential final against historic rival Mexico in Los Angeles three days later. That would be a significant loss for Mauricio Pochettino's squad, which is also expected to be without fellow striker Folarin Balogun until April.
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Balogun, the USMNT's first choice center forward under previous USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter, has yet to appear under Pochettino after undergoing shoulder surgery last fall. Pepi grabbed the role with aplomb in Balogun's absence, scoring in Pochettino's debut win in October and in both legs of November's Nations League quarterfinal win over Jamaica.
England-based pair Josh Sargent and Haji Wright are probably the leading candidates to replace Pepi in March, though both recently returned from their own long-term injury layoffs. MLS strikers Patrick Agyemang and Brandon Vazquez are among the other options for Pochettino.
At PSV, Pepi has mostly been used as a substitute since joining the 25-time Dutch champs at the beginning of 2023-24, with former Barcelona forward and Netherlands international Luuk de Jong entrenched as manager Peter Bosz' first choice. Yet despite the limited playing time, Pepi has outscored De Jong this season and is second in the Eredivisie's Golden Boot race, with 11 goals in just 681 minutes played.
Bosz rewarded that consistent production on Wednesday by giving Pepi his first Champions League start of the season. He was rewarded handsomely. In addition to his game-winning goal just before halftime, Pepi also set up the hosts' opener against Liverpool with a clever assist.
Pepi will also miss PSV's two-leg Champions League playoff series next month against either Eredivisie rivals Feyenoord or Italian titans Juventus. He could return for the tournament quarterfinals in April if PSV gets that far without him. The club, which won its only European title in 1988, was eliminated in the round of 16 last year.
Doug McIntyre is a soccer writer for FOX Sports who has covered the United States men's and women's national teams at FIFA World Cups on five continents. Follow him at @ByDougMcIntyre.
