'Quality strikers who are in their prime' - Alexi Lalas encouraged by Ricardo Pepi's return from injury, says pairing with Folarin Balogun gives USMNT strong tandem

The Fox Sports analyst referenced Pepi's recent brace for PSV in their 5-3 victory over NEC Nijmegen as evidence of the 22-year-old regaining his sharpness after missing significant time.

“One of the things that we've talked about now for the entire cycle is this open attacking striker position,” Lalas said on the State of the Union podcast. “We all welcome the return of Balogun in this past window and he actually did a very good job. It goes back to... competition for spots. And so it's wonderful to see Pepi, who is kind of the next in line, back playing, back scoring - which isn't necessarily anything new from a PSV perspective over there in Holland.

"And we've talked about, you know, some of the perception versus the reality sometimes when it comes to the defending. But beggars can't be choosers. And I love the fact that he's there.”

Pepi's recovery adds depth to a position where the USMNT has historically struggled to find consistent performers.

“If we get to next summer and both of those guys are healthy and we're still playing one striker, that's a nice little tandem to have,” Lalas said. “Regardless of who ends up starting, if that person works out great, then you give them a rest and somebody comes out in fresh and ready to go and does and does some more damage.

“Or if things aren't going well, maybe they wear them down, and then you put in someone. We're going from 'Who the hell is going to play striker for us' to - and I don't want to get ahead - but the possibility of having two quality strikers who are in their prime that will score goals, and I think will be dangerous. Are they world-class? No, by any stretch of the imagination. But it's better than what we've had.”

With Pepi now 22 and Balogun 24, both strikers are approaching their theoretical prime years as the 2026 World Cup approaches.

Ricardo Pepi and PSV Eindhoven have enjoyed an excellent start to the 2025-26 season with Pepi returning to full fitness recently for the Dutch side. They’ll face Ajax on Sept. 20 at home followed by Excelsior on Sept. 26 in the Eredivisie.