Just as he was hitting his stride ahead of the World Cup, American striker Ricardo Pepi suffered the cruelest of setbacks: a fractured left forearm as he was scoring another goal.
Just as he was hitting his stride ahead of the World Cup, scoring goals at a torrid pace and cementing his starting role for Dutch frontrunner PSV Eindhoven, American striker Ricardo Pepi suffered the cruelest of setbacks: a fractured left forearm as he was scoring another goal.
It occurred in the 23rd minute of a 5-1 victory over Excelsior on Saturday, with Pepi falling awkwardly as he steered the ball into the net.
Pepi scores but suffers injury #usmnthttps://t.co/WNnYbJx2ap
— Steven Goff (@SoccerInsider) January 10, 2026
"It didn't look good right away and at such a moment you would prefer to look the other way," PSV coach Peter Bosz said.
After being helped off the field, Pepi was taken to the hospital. He underwent surgery Sunday and will miss two months, the club announced.
On his Instagram page, Pepi posted, “All part of the game … … BRB” with an hourglass emoji.
“Pepi was on a good run, had a strong training camp and was all the way back” from a knee injury that sidelined him the second half of last season, Bosz said. “He became more confident … and was in that good flow again. All signs were green for a strong second half of the season, so this is incredibly disappointing. First and foremost for him and obviously for us as well."
Pepi had scored in six of seven matches in all competitions while also increasing his league total to eight. He has 11 goals in 21 matches overall.
With his minutes and production rising, Pepi had a strong case for a place on U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino’s World Cup squad. The injury certainly does not preclude him from making the 26-man roster but does jeopardize his availability for the friendlies against Belgium and Portugal in late March in Atlanta — the last U.S. camp before Pochettino selects his World Cup team in late May.
Because of the long layoff, Pepi is going to need to not only work his way back into Bosz’s starting rotation but regain his scoring touch.
American right back Sergiño Dest went 90 minutes for the 10th consecutive Eredivisie match as PSV extended its lead over Feyenoord to 13 points.
England
Center back Chris Richards and Crystal Palace have had a rough go of it since mid-December, failing to win over nine matches across all competitions. Things continued to descend Saturday, when the Eagles lost to sixth-division Macclesfield 2-1 in the FA Cup’s third round.
The hosts — sitting 117 league places below Palace in the English pyramid — were the first non-league team to eliminate the FA Cup defending champions since Palace bounced Wolverhampton in the 1908-09 first round. Their coach is John Rooney, younger brother of former superstar Wayne Rooney. (John played for the New York Red Bulls and Orlando City, among many clubs.)
“Honestly, I have no explanation for what I have seen today,” Palace coach Oliver Glasner said.
Two cup matches featured Americans on opposing sides: After falling behind in the first half, wing back Antonee Robinson and Fulham got the best of midfielder Aidan Morris and second-tier Middlesbrough 3-1. Robinson entered in the 66th minute, while Morris (90 minutes) had the secondary assist on the goal with a clever touch.
Midfielder Brenden Aaronson (a late-game sub) and Leeds claimed a 3-1 victory at second-division Derby County, which inserted forward Patrick Agyemang in the 73rd minute.
Forward Haji Wright played 73 minutes for second-division leader Coventry City in a 1-0 loss at second-tier Stoke City. Since scoring twice for the national team against Australia in October, Wright has gone scoreless in 14 consecutive Coventry appearances.
Forward Josh Sargent refused to play in second-tier Norwich City’s 5-1 cup triumph against fourth-flight Walsall, coach Philippe Clement said.
“Josh sent me a message saying he would not be available because of transfer things in his head,” Clement said. “This is obviously not something we want, and will have consequences. It is something we need to speak about inside the club, but the club has made it really clear to Josh and his agent that he will not be leaving during this transfer window.”
Toronto FC reportedly is interested in Sargent, 25, who joined Norwich in August 2021.
Italy
Forward Christian Pulisic (90 minutes) went scoreless for the third consecutive appearance — and in five of six — as AC Milan remained second in Serie A behind Inter Milan following a 1-1 draw at Fiorentina.
Midfielder Yunus Musah entered in the 67th minute of Atalanta’s 2-0 victory over Torino, its third consecutive shutout victory.
Midfielder Weston McKennie and Juventus will look to extend their unbeaten run to seven across all competitions Monday at home against Cremonese.
Goalkeeper Jonathan Klinsmann and Cesena ran their Serie B winless rut to three matches with a 1-0 loss to Empoli, leaving the club in sixth place.
Germany
Wing back Joe Scally scored his first goal for Mönchengladbach since October 2023, an eighth-minute strike that began a 4-0 romp over Augsburg.
Since joining the Bundesliga side from New York City FC in 2021, he has scored three league goals and four overall. Gio Reyna replaced him in the 85th minute. Defender Noahkai Banks played 90 minutes for Augsburg.
Midfielder Malik Tillman (90 minutes) drew a second-half penalty kick for Bayer Leverkusen in a 4-1 home loss to Stuttgart, which scored four times before halftime and drew even with its foe for fourth place.
On loan from Southampton, forward Damion Downs made an inauspicious debut for Hamburg, logging 78 quiet minutes in a 2-1 loss at Freiburg.
St. Pauli’s match against RB Leipzig was postponed because of heavy snow in Hamburg, leaving U.S. midfielder James Sands inactive.
Winger Kevin Paredes, a 2024 Olympian, returned from a five-month injury absence, entering in the 77th minute of Wolfsburg's 8-1 loss at Bayern Munich.
Left wing John Tolkin and Holstein Kiel remained on the second-division’s winter break, with play resuming next weekend.
In the French Cup round of 32, forward Folarin Balogun (86 minutes) scored the opening goal in Monaco’s 3-1 victory at third-division Orleans. He has eight goals across all competitions this season.
Center back Mark McKenzie captained Toulouse’s 6-5 shootout victory at Angers following a 1-1 cup draw. McKenzie failed to convert with his club’s first attempt in the shootout.
In another cup showdown between top-flight clubs, midfielder Tanner Tessmann (90 minutes) helped Olympique Lyonnais win at Lille 2-1.
Winger Tim Weah and Olympique Marseille will seek to avoid cup embarrassment Tuesday when they visit sixth-division Bayeux.
Others
Center back Auston Trusty played 90 minutes as Celtic, in Martin O’Neill’s coaching return, roared to a 4-0 victory over Dundee United.
Midfielder Johnny Cardoso and Atletico Madrid were off after losing to Real Madrid in a Spanish Super Cup semifinal Thursday in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Winger Alex Zendejas was a surprise omission, apparently because of injury, from Club America’s 0-0 draw at Tijuana on the opening day of Liga MX’s Clausura season.
Category: General Sports
