Ricardo Pepi and Malik Tillman both had a major say in PSV’s latest Eredivisie romp on Saturday.
Pepi scored twice while Tillman scored once as PSV defeated PEC Zwolle 6-0 at the Philips Station. The result moved PSV to 10-0-0 in league play and extended their goal differential to +29.
PSV’s opening goal came in the ninth minute with Pepi slotting home Ismael Saibari’s pass down the middle of the net.
After Noa Lang doubled PSV’s lead before halftime, Tillman extended the hosts lead in the 50th minute with a close-range header. Pepi continued the onslaught by scoring his second goal of the day five minutes later.
PSV added two additional goals to cap the final score at 6-0, giving them a fifth win out of their last seven matches.
It marked Pepi’s second brace of the league season and Tillman’s fifth goalscoring performance of the campaign. Both players were praised by Bosz postmatch after impactful shifts in the squad.
“His performance is impressive, but he only has one problem, there is someone in front of him who also shows impressive numbers,” Bosz said about Pepi. “I see the development with him in the field of being ball-fast and co-defending it. But scoring, he can, there should be no doubt about that.”
“I really think his [Tillman’s] best position is the number ten position, but because he is an athlete and a football-intelligent player, he can also be left winger or as a controlling midfielder,” Bosz said about Tillman.
Up next for both players is a trip to rivals Ajax on November 2.
In England, Antonee Robinson and Fulham tied Everton. Haji Wright scored the winning goal for Coventry City. Tyler Adams made his season debut for Bournemouth.
In Germany, Joe Scally continued his role at left back for Borussia Moenchengladbach. Cole Campbell made his Borussia Dortmund debut.
In Italy, Weston McKennie assisted twice in Juventus’ 4-4 draw with Inter. Tim Weah scored once as well.
In France, Tanner Tessmann went 90 minutes for Lyon. Mark McKenzie also featured for Toulouse. Folarin Balogun continued to miss out through his shoulder injury.
Elsewhere, Cameron Carter-Vickers made his return for Celtic. Auston Trusty went the distance in Celtic’s win over Motherwell. George Bello and LASK lost at home to Sturm Graz. Paxten Aaronson started in FC Utrecht’s loss vs. Feyenoord. Alex Zendejas and Club America got the better of Brandon Vazquez and Monterrey.
Here is a closer look at this weekend’s Americans Abroad:
England
English Premier League
Antonee Robinson started and played 90 minutes in Fulham’s 1-1 draw with Everton on Saturday.
Matt Turner dressed but did not play in Crystal Palace’s 1-0 win Tottenham on Sunday.
Chris Richards did not dress (Injury) for Crystal Palace.
Tyler Adams came off the bench and played nine minutes in Bournemouth’s 1-1 draw with Aston Villa on Saturday.
EFL Championship
Brenden Aaronson started and played 90 minutes in Leeds United’s 0-0 draw with Bristol City on Saturday.
Josh Sargent started and played 90 minutes in Norwich City’s 3-3 draw with Middlesbrough on Sunday.
Aidan Morris started and played 90 minutes for Middlesbrough.
Haji Wright started, scored ONE GOAL, and played 90 minutes in Coventry City’s 3-2 win over Luton Town on Saturday.
Duane Holmes came off the bench and played 27 minutes in Preston North End’s 3-3 draw with Plymouth Argyle on Saturday.
Luca Koleosho started and played 90 minutes in Burnley’s 0-0 draw with QPR on Saturday.
Ethan Horvath dressed but did not play in Cardiff City’s 0-0 draw with West Bromwich Albion on Saturday.
Daryl Dike did not dress for West Bromwich Albion.
Lynden Gooch is OUT (Injury) for Stoke City.
League One
Donovan Pines started and played 90 minutes in Barnsley’s 2-0 win over Shrewsbury Town on Saturday.
Gabriel Slonina dressed but did not play for Barnsley.
WSL
The WSL is off until November 3.
Germany
Bundesliga
Joe Scally started and played 90 minutes in Borussia Moenchengladbach’s 1-1 draw with Mainz on Friday.
Cole Campbell came off the bench and played two minutes in Borussia Dortmund’s 2-1 loss to Augsburg on Saturday.
Lennard Maloney started and played 90 minutes in FC Heidenheim’s 0-0 draw with Hoffenheim on Sunday.
Jordan Pefok came off the bench and played 25 minutes in Union Berlin’s 1-1 draw with Eintracht Frankfurt on Sunday.
Timmy Chandler dressed but did not play for Eintracht Frankfurt.
Kevin Paredes did not dress in Wolfsburg’s 0-0 draw with St. Pauli on Saturday.
Gio Reyna is OUT (Injury) for Borussia Dortmund.
2. Bundesliga
Julian Green started, registered ONE ASSIST, and played 90 minutes in Greuther Furth’s 4-3 win over Schalke on Saturday.
Johan Gomez came off the bench and played 16 minutes in Eintracht Braunschweig’s 1-1 draw with Preussen Munster on Sunday.
John Brooks is OUT (Injury) for Hertha Berlin.
3. Liga
Terrence Boyd came off the bench, scored ONE GOAL, and played 29 minutes in Waldhof Mannheim’s 2-2 draw with Wehen Wiesbaden on Sunday.
Spain
La Liga
Johnny Cardoso started and played 90 minutes in Real Betis 1-0 win over Atletico Madrid on Sunday.
Luca De La Torre did not dress (Injury) in Celta Vigo’s 3-0 loss to Leganes on Sunday.
Italy
Serie A
Tim Weah started, scored ONE GOAL, and played 62 minutes in Juventus 4-4 draw with Inter Milan on Sunday.
Weston McKennie started, registered TWO ASSISTS, and played 83 minutes for Juventus.
Gianluca Busio started and played 89 minutes in Venezia’s 2-2 draw with Monza on Sunday.
Christian Pulisic, Yunus Musah and AC Milan’s scheduled match with Bologna was postponed on Saturday.
Serie B
Andrija Novakovich came off the bench and played 70 minutes in Bari’s 0-0 draw with Catanzaro on Friday.
Kristoffer Lund came off the bench and played 18 minutes in Palermo’s 2-0 win over Modena on Saturday.
France
Ligue 1
Mark McKenzie started and played 90 minutes in Toulouse’s 3-0 win over Montpellier on Sunday.
Tanner Tessmann started and played 90 minutes in Lyon’s 2-2 draw with Auxerre on Sunday.
Emmanuel Sabbi came off the bench and played 20 minutes in Le Havre’s 1-0 loss to Rennes on Friday.
Kobi Henry did not dress in Stade Reims 2-1 loss to Brest on Saturday.
Folarin Balogun is OUT (Shoulder Injury) for AS Monaco.
Caleb Wiley is OUT (Injury) for Strasbourg.
Division 1 Feminine
Korbin Albert, Eva Gaetino and Paris Saint-Germain are off until November 3.
Lindsey Horan and Lyon are off until November 3.
Netherlands
Eredivisie
Ricardo Pepi started, scored TWO GOALS, and played 90 minutes in PSV’s 6-0 win over PEC Zwolle on Saturday.
Malik Tillman started, scored ONE GOAL, and played 90 minutes for PSV.
Richie Ledezma dressed but did not play for PSV.
Anthony Fontana did not dress for PEC Zwolle.
Paxten Aaronson started and played 90 minutes in FC Utrecht’s 2-0 win over Feyenoord on Sunday.
Taylor Booth started and played 74 minutes for FC Utrecht.
Eerste Divisie
Zach Booth started and played 71 minutes in Excelsior’s 1-0 loss to Cambuur on Saturday.
Belgium
Pro League
Bryan Reynolds started and plated 66 minutes in Westerlo’s 2-0 loss to Sint-Truiden on Saturday.
Griffin Yow came off the bench and played 45 minutes for Westerlo.
Julian Placias did not dress for Westerlo.
Marlon Fossey started and played 84 minutes in Standard Liege’s 3-0 loss to Royal Antwerp on Sunday.
Austria
Bundesliga
George Bello started and played 90 minutes in LASK’s 2-1 loss to Sturm Graz on Sunday.
Scotland
Premiership
Auston Trusty started and played 90 minutes in Celtic’s 3-0 win over Motherwell on Sunday.
Cameron Carter-Vickers came off the bench and played 22 minutes for Celtic.
Dante Polvara is OUT (Injury) for Aberdeen.
Switzerland
Super League
Konrad De La Fuente came off the bench and played 20 minutes in Lausanne’s 3-0 win over Grasshopper on Saturday.
Norway
Eliteserien
Christian Cappis came off the bench and played one minute in Viking’s 2-1 win over Sarpsborg on Sunday.
1. Division
Sam Rogers came off the bench and played two minutes in Aalesund’s 1-0 win over Ranheim on Saturday.
Croatia
1. HNL
Rokas Pukstas came off the bench and played 29 minutes in Hajduk Split’s 2-1 win over NK Lokomotiva on Saturday.
Denmark
Superliagen
Jonathan Amon came off the bench and played 48 minutes in Lyngby’s 2-0 loss to Vejle on Sunday.
Justin Che dressed but did not play in Brondby’s 0-0 draw with FC Kobenhaven on Sunday.
Greece
Super League
Jonathan Gomez started and played 80 minutes in PAOK Salonika’s 2-1 loss to OFI Crete on Sunday.
Erik Palmer-Brown did not dress in Panathinaikos 1-1 draw with Aris Thessaloniki on Sunday.
Mexico
Liga MX
Alex Zendejas started and played 90 minutes in Club America’s 2-1 win over Monterrey on Sunday.
Brandon Vazquez came off the bench and played 30 minutes for Monterrey.
Cade Cowell started and played 74 minutes in Chivas 1-0 loss to Puebla on Friday.
Frankie Amaya dressed but did not play in Toluca’s 3-1 win over Necaxa on Sunday.
Alex Mendez dressed but did not play in FC Juarez’s 4-2 loss to Atletico San Luis on Sunday.
McKennie played the 10. Were my eyes playing tricks on me? Did that happen?
Weston did play a version of the 10 . For a while . He later moved over to right back. Weston is a little like Clint, it’s no good trying to come up with names for his “positions”. He’s big , physical,, skilled, and most of all dynamic and smart. That makes him very useful in a number of roles. And Motta seems to want to do that.
And you can’t expect him to play for Juve exactly like he will play for the USMNT. Two different player pools.
Nevertheless, if Timo can stay on the field hopefully he and Weston will work out some kind of partnership that maybe they can translate directly to the USMNT. It’s all good.
All Pepi can do is what he is…and he is starting to our pressure on the coach. Media is coming around also over there. Good job.
Johnny is finally healthy again and it shows. Back to last years form.
IF Adams plays and is effective it will be interesting to see what Poch does. Two very different types of players, for different situations IMO, and a guy name Tessman taking those next steps.
Adam’s could have made our match in Mexico look so much better on his own.
Johnny plays within the team and has shown he can be an above average baller on a high quality team and league…more cerebral IMO.
TT passes like no one else in our pool since Bradley in his prime. Wonderful long balls and switches.
All offer something. He will earn some of his paycheck if he can figure this out.
Still, we only have Weah, Pulisic, Dest and Reyna when it comes to players who can make a real impact/difference out there IMO. Without those guys we are still pretty easy to set up against TBH, and we have a hard time being threatening. Those guys can’t gay healthy sooo….the what?
I’d add McKennie and Jedi to your list. But yeah, despite the many decent options emerging, there is still a major drop-off after our top 10 or so guys. Only when we have 15-20 at that level can we consistently compete with the top nations.
Agree with Weston, but he has to be in the mood. The other 4 I mentioned just can make something happen even when they aren’t at their best. For me Jedi is high quality but his game in the final third isn’t very good TBH.
For those complaining about our depth, I can remember when most of our national team players were from MLS and few, if any, played in a top 5 European league. Now we can put together a team with every player playing in a top 5 league. Not only that, but some, like Pulisic and A Robinson, are starring in their roles. In fact, we have players starting in top 5 leagues who are now bench player on the national team, like Busio and Tessman. In the past just playing in a top 5 league would guarantee them a starting role with the USMNT. I call that progress.
“TT passes like no one else in our pool since Bradley in his prime. Wonderful long balls and switches.”
I hope TT can do better than Michael.
Bradley wasn’t always effective with those fancy hollywood balls of his. And I’ve seen him hand out his share of hospital passes. Jermaine was a better passer, actually a more skilled, better player period. If Tanner wants a USMNT model, better Jermaine than Michael.
Michael in his prime hit the long ball much better than anyone gives him credit for. Between psycho fans who were blinded by nepotism rants, and the tailing off of his career due to injury, many just don’t remember/cared to see it in the first place. It’s to bad but that’s how most people work. Injury, petty human emotion and longevity weren’t friends to MB.
TK,
Hitting a great long ball is not the be all and end all of being a good player.
I remember Michael giving a startled Rico Clark a hospital ball in the Ghana game near the half way circle that Boateng ripped off.
That resulted in a series of events where Bradley, Rico, Los, Demerit and Howard waved at Boateng as he scored under Howard at the near post.
We lost and got knocked out of the World Cup.
At the beginning of his USMNT career he was a red card risk with zero positional sense but Bob kept playing him until he came good. You could argue nepotism but it helped that all his competitors kept getting hurt
Injuries kept Jermaine out of the 2010 World Cup and hobbled Stu Holden. If those two had been healthy… who knows? Credit Michael with a lot of good luck.
At his peak he was a good supporting actor. I say that because once Landon, Clint, Jozy, Jermaine, Fabian, Boca, Dolo, and Howard started to age out it did not become “Michael’s team”.
Good, slightly above average international player he eventually earned his place but anyone who thinks nepotism did not help his USMNT career is just fooling themselves.
.
Kind of feel PSV may be starting the transition to Pepi. We shall see how the rest of the season shapes up.
I think we’ll see Pepi either before or after these Champions League midweek games. Possibly some of these up 2-0 at half, give 30-45 minutes not his typical 10-15 especially against these bottom table clubs.
Those were some nice finishes by Pepi. I like Haji Wright as a finisher but Pepi’s by a bunch the best poacher in our pool; he just has that eye and feel for the jugular. He also seems to finally be settling into his frame; he needs to be a little more physical but that’s coming. Guys at 21 are not the same as guys at 25. The biggest thing he needs to work on is his work rate. If he can get even close to Sargent or Brandon Vasquez’s intensity the sky’s the limit for him; the technical ability is there, the soccer IQ is there, the skills are there.
I do think at some point PSV will transition over to him. All it takes is one knock on De Jong and he’s been prone to them; last season was kind of an anomaly for De Jong in terms of avoiding injury.
The Eredivisie is most leagues, a few dominants, PSV, AJAX, Feyenoord , a few decent teams and then a lot of target practice.
Earnie was always going to work Pepi in slowly. DeJong’s stellar form has made that take longer than expected but the plan proceeds this season with Ricardo beating up on the JV’s. He’ll get more time this season because first and foremost ,PSV are a selling club and just imagine what Pepi will be worth if he is starting by 2026 and has a great World Cup.
Follow the money.
Pepi: two league starts 4 goals. He’s tied with Tillman, DeJong, and one other for second in Eredivisie goals with 5 on the season.