USMNT Stock Watch: Ricardo Pepi strikes first after international window

Pa Doug McIntyre
Posted by FOX Sports Soccer

Editor’s note: “Jet to Qatar” is a weekly feature on FOX Sports that tracks the progress of players hoping to crack the United States The composition of the men’s national team consists of 26 players World Cup 2022 in Qatar.

We think we know it United States coach Greg Berhalter will take three forwards Qatar.

We think we know it Jesus Ferreira will be one of them. For the masters of mathematics, there are only two vacancies, with at least three center forwards – Ricardo Pepi, Jordan Pefock and Josh Sargent — fighting for the last few seats on the plane.

The competition at the top will be fierce over the next five weeks. It could even make the final slate of club games before Berhalter names his squad on November 9. Pefok had a ticket in that space last week despite not being invited to the September camp, mainly because Ferreira, Pepy, Sargent and the rest of the American failed to score in the matchup. USMNT Away games of the World Cup against Japan and Saudi Arabia.

But now Pepi is starting to find himself in the Netherlands, scoring in each of his last two games. By all accounts, Berhalter seems to favor the teenager over Pefok, who happens to be coming off his worst performance of the Bundesliga season, and the fourth striker, Hadji Wright. As for Sargent, who was called up for the first time in a year last month, he has now gone three games without scoring in England’s second tier, which is the longest drought of the season.

However, there is still enough time for things to change. They probably will. It will be interesting to see which players catch fire or cool down over the next month.

Who knows how this will shake things out?

First class

F/M Brendan Aaronson (Leeds): Aaronson played 79 minutes in a scoreless draw on Saturday Aston Villa.

M Tyler Adams (Leeds): Midfielder Adams, easily a starter for the best club in the USA, was named man of the match in Leeds.

D Serginho Dest (Milan): Dest came off the bench at half-time on Saturday as Milan lost 2-1 They attacked. He has yet to start a game for the club.

Jesus Ferreira (Dallas): After the USMNT’s final World Cup preparations, Ferreira drove 5,200 miles between Murcia, Spain and Dallas, then went the distance in Colorado three days later in FCD’s 1-0 loss to the Rapids.

M Weston McKenney (Juventus): McKenney not only kept his place in the squad despite Juve’s dreadful start to the season, but also rewarded coach Max Allegra with a spot-on assist in Sunday’s win over Bologna.

*M Yunus Musa (Valencia): The 19-year-old returned to training on Monday, but will have to wait at least a few more days to return after a groin injury forced him out of the USMNT’s final pre-Cup camp. Valencia plays at Assasuna on Friday.

F Christian Pulisic (Chelsea): Pulisic came off the bench to score Conor Gallagher in the 90th minute of the game. Crystal Palace on Saturday. Will that be enough to earn Pulisic his first start under new Blues boss Graham Potter in Wednesday’s Champions League clash with AC Milan?

*F/M Giovanni Reina (Borussia Dortmund): The hamstring tweak Reina suffered against the Saudis will keep him out of at least Der Klassiker on Saturday against Bayern Munich.

*D Anthony Robinson (Fulham): The Jedi returned to training last week but did not play in the 4-1 defeat by the Cottagers Newcastle. Fulham visited the London rival West Ham on Sunday.

F Tim Weah (Lille): Weah, now recovered from the ankle problem that kept him out of action for the USMNT last month, was fit for Saturday’s loss to Lorian.

D Walker Zimmerman (Nashville): After playing all 180 minutes for the U.S. team last month, Zimmerman scored in the 90th minute for Nashville in a 1-2 loss to Houston on Saturday.

Comfort is a plus

M Kelly Acosta (LAFC): In his 27th start of the season, Acosta pitched Carlos Vela opening on Sunday as LAFC won the MLS Supporters Shield.

M Paul Arriola (Dallas): The winger was suspended on Saturday after receiving a red card in FCD’s previous match.

*D Cameron Carter-Vickers (Celtic): The hard-hitting centre-back missed Celtic’s first game since the break and was also ruled out of the Champions League clash against RB Leipzig.

*D Reggie Cannon (Baavista): The groin strain Cannon suffered against Japan is expected to keep him out for at least another week.

M Luca de la Torre (Celta Vigo): De la Torre played the final 21 minutes of Sunday’s 1-0 win over Real Betis with 10 men, his longest appearance of the season.

G Shawn Johnson (New York): Johnson and the Pigeons will be looking to defend their MLS title after qualifying for the playoffs over the weekend. Another deep run would all but seal the veteran’s place in the World Cup.

D Aaron Long (New York Red Bulls): After starting both U.S. friendlies during the international break, Red Bulls coach Gerhard Struber was given a long rest before Saturday’s 2-1 loss in Columbus.

M Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders): Morris started against Sporting Kansas City on Sunday, but couldn’t prevent the Sounders’ loss that ended Seattle’s 13-game playoff streak. He will now be inactive from October 9 until the opening of the World Cup on November 20 – provided the break does not cost him a trip to Qatar.

^F Ricardo Pepi (Groningen): Pepi, still only 19, scored his second goal in as many Eredivise games on Saturday:

*D Chris Richards (Crystal Palace): The big centre-back was not fit enough to suit up for Palace against Chelsea and his prospects of playing time when he does return are not great. For a long time it was considered a lock, but it’s starting to look like Richards may not have enough time to win the World Championship over competitors who are actually playing.

F Josh Sargent (Norwich City): Sargent had all 90 points on Tuesday but did not score in a 1-1 draw with Norwich Reading.

D Joe Scully (Borussia Monchengladbach): Also still 19, Scully followed up his national best by featuring for Gladbach in a 5-1 thrashing Werder Bremen October 1.

G Zac Steffen (Middlesbrough): In Saturday’s 1-0 loss against Coventry, Steffen was beaten by a solid tackle, but that’s forgivable. It is not:

It wasn’t Steffen’s first glaring casual mistake this season. 27 years old Manchester City the loanee is a talented goalkeeper who, based on current form, is also a World Cup-ruining mistake waiting to happen right now.

G Matt Turner (Arsenal): The Gunners’ No.2 is expected to make his first start at home to Norway’s Bode on Thursday.Bliss in the Europa League.

D DeAndre Yedlin (Miami): Veteran right fielder Yedlin will have two big games next week for playoff-bound Miami.

Waiting list

M Johnny Cardoza (Internacional): A native of New Jersey, Brazil the promoted No. 8 played 63 minutes in Saturday’s 1-0 win Santos.

G Ethan Horvath (Luton Town): On September 30, Horvat scored his third clean sheet of the season Hull City without having to save. He scored one in Luton’s 3-3 draw with Huddersfield on Tuesday.

D Mark McKenzie (Genk): The central defender continues to play regularly; McKenzie played 90 minutes for the club’s seventh consecutive game on Saturday. Can he break into the World Cup squad if Carter Vickers and/or Richards are sidelined?

D Eric Palmer-Brown (Troyes): After watching the USA’s two September games from the bench, the centre-back played the entire game in Troyes in a 2-2 draw with Reims in League 1.

⌄F Jordan Pefock (Union Berlin): Pefock suffered through his first (and so far only) unsuccessful game for Union, a 2-0 loss to Eintracht Frankfurt. Germany the next leader plays in Sweden’s Malmö in the Europa League on Thursday.

M Christian Roldan (Seattle Sounders): Out for five weeks after groin surgery, Roldan returned for Seattle’s final two games. But like Morris, missing the playoffs hurts his chances — perhaps even more than his teammate’s.

M Malik Tillman (Rangers): Tillman started in Tuesday’s Champions League match against Liverpool, but again his intensity was no match for the Rangers’ opponent. The 20-year-old was substituted in the second half as the Scots lost 2-0.

D Sam Vines (Royal Antwerp): Left-back Vines was sent off for the first time this season on Sunday as Belgian leaders Antwerp suffered their first defeat of the 2022-23 campaign.

F Hadji Wright (Antalyaspor): Without a goal in three games, Wright’s next match in the Turkish Premier League is on Monday vs Kanyaspor.

* Wounded

^ Hit

⌄Got astray

Added: No

Turned out: No

One of North America’s leading soccer journalists, Doug McIntyre has covered the United States men’s and women’s national teams at numerous FIFA World Cups. Before joining FOX Sports in 2021, he was a staff writer for ESPN and Yahoo Sports. Follow him on Twitter @Written by Doug McIntyre.