Ricardo Pepi injury: USMNT striker breaks arm ahead of 2026 FIFA World Cup

Another injury has struck the United States men’s national team. The Eredivisie returns from its winter break. Striker Ricardo Pepi had to be withdrawn from PSV’s match against Excelsior in the 26th minute after breaking his arm. The former FC Dallas player collided with the post while scoring, with the club confirming a forearm fracture.

“The 23-year-old striker will undergo surgery [Sunday]. Pepi is expected to be out for around two months,” PSV said on social media.

This places his status for the big matches of the March international break against Portugal And Belgium in the air, but these are games where Pepi will be needed. Any injury to a player can potentially jeopardize their participation in the 2026 World Cup. We are now only 152 days away from the start of the World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico, which is not very long if an injury causes a player to be out for a few months. Pepi’s injury comes while the striker is in good form.

The goal was the fifth consecutive Eredivisie match in which Pepi scored for PSV as he strived to secure a consistent starting role at the club while cementing his place as the USMNT’s number two striker at the back. Folarin Balogun. A strong change of pace option off the bench for the USMNT, Pepi now has 11 goals and two assists in 22 appearances for PSV in all competitions. He was particularly effective in the Champions League, where he scored three goals and assisted another in just 149 minutes of play.

Despite this success, Pepi did not see this translate into national team play in 2025. He only made one appearance for 15 minutes under Mauricio Pochettino is someone who has something to prove in these upcoming matches, and this is where any type of injury can be a concern. Pepi hasn’t scored for the USMNT since November 2024, but as one of the most talented young players in the pool, he will push for a World Cup spot if given the opportunity to prove himself.

Before the 2022 World Cup, Pepi left FC Dallas for FC Augsburg in a move that couldn’t have been worse, ultimately contributing to him missing the 2022 World Cup roster. In the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons, Pepi made 16 appearances for the German club and failed to score. He found his form at Groningen on loan in 2022-23, scoring 13 goals in 31 games before his move to PSV ahead of the 2023-24 season, averaging double figures every season since.