With first place secured and the U.S. exercising caution over yellow cards and injuries, Mauricio Pochettino is expected to rotate. Here is who GOAL thinks should start.
Ricardo Pepi is on World Cup duty with the USMNT, putting him in the global shop window, but Kasey Keller has told GOAL why the PSV striker faces a “tricky” decision when it comes to his future and mounting Premier League transfer speculation. The 23-year-old frontman attracted interest from Fulham during the winter, with more approaches from England expected to be made with the summer market of 2026 now open for business.
USMNT strikers Folarin Balogun and Ricardo Pepi have become the subject of Premier League transfer predictions, with Brad Friedel telling GOAL that both could end up in the English top-flight. It is suggested that the former may link up with one of the “big boys”, while the latter would benefit from using “mid to lower teams” as another career stepping stone.
USMNT fans exploded online after the leaked World Cup roster surfaced, with Diego Luna’s omission and Gio Reyna’s inclusion fueling intense debate ahead of Mauricio Pochettino’s official squad announcement.
Sergino Dest, the USMNT's presumptive starter at right back in the 2026 World Cup, returned from a hamstring injury Saturday afternoon, playing 30 minutes against Ajax in a 2-2 draw. The defender has been out since March 7 after limping off during PSV's 2-1 win over AZ Alkmaar. It was a good day for PSV's American unit, as Ricardo Pepi got on the scoresheet.
At the age of 18, Ricardo Pepi simply wasn’t ready for the Bundesliga. The forward has since come into his own – but a €40 million transfer fell through at the last minute.
Ricardo Pepi's proposed $42 million transfer to Fulham is on hold, but talks could resume between the Premier League club and PSV this summer, sources tell GOAL. The U.S. Men's National Team star nearly completed a move this week, only for the two sides to be unable to finalize the last few details of the deal.