Ricardo Pepi must 'stay patient' if he is to excel for USMNT

Martin Macdonald

28 Sep 2025 07:00 CDT
2 min read

Ricardo Pepi has been urged to 'stay patient and hungry' if he is to fulfil his potential and become a key player for the USMNT again.

Once a promising forward for the United States and his club sides, Pepi's career has stalled slightly as he battles to get back to his best after a serious knee injury.

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The PSV striker has scored 34 goals in 78 appearances for the Dutch giants but missed most of last season due to the aforementioned knee injury.

He is only just regaining full fitness and recently scored a double against NEC Nijmegen.

ESPN analyst Herculez Gomez believes Pepi still has the potential to become a major star for his country.

“I think he has shown, in the brief time he has played, this season and last season when fit, with the USMNT - if he’s fit - he is going to score goals,” Gomez said on Futbol Americas.

“He’s got to stay fit, got to stay hungry. Because that No. 9 for the USMNT, if the World Cup is his bar, then it’s a wide open race. It was his, but if you’re not on the field, you’ve already lost it. And he’s not been on the field…

"I hear a player who is being told to stay patient and I see a player that, in flashes, shows you good things. But I’ve been there myself... I don’t know where he is, only he knows where he is. But he’s got to stay patient, he’s got to stay strong and he’s got to take his chances with the national team when they come.”

There is nine months until the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico and Pepi will need to find his form again if he is to earn a starting berth at the competition up against the likes of Folarin Balogun and Patrick Agyemang for the centre-forward role.

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