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Americans Abroad Player of the Week: Ricardo Pepi

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There’s not many American players in better form right now than Ricardo Pepi.

Pepi stole the show for PSV on Saturday, registering a hat trick in a 5-0 Eredivisie victory over FC Groningen. The U.S. men’s national team forward earned SBI Americans Abroad Player of the Week honors after scoring three times in PSV’s latest league win.

Pepi’s goals came in a variety of ways, showing once again his versatility in the final third.

His first goal came from strength and precision to extend PSV’s first-half lead. Pepi bodied a Groningen defender on the right wing before cutting into the box and drilling a shot into the top corner.

Pepi’s second goal came off of a clinical finish in the box, giving him his third multi-goal performance of the season.

PSV’s fifth and final goal of the match came off of a connection between Ivan Perisic and Pepi in the box. Perisic’s cross was headed home by Pepi, capping off his magical night in Eindhoven.

With Luuk De Jong missing from Saturday’s match, Pepi made the most of his opportunity. He now has nine goals in all competitions this season, which puts him first in the Eredivisie Golden Boot race.

Up next for PSV is a midweek Champions League clash with Shakhtar Donetsk, which could be Pepi’s next opportunity to sart in PePer Bosz’s squad.

Here is a look at some of the other top Americans Abroad performers from this past week:

Paxten Aaronson

FC Utrecht continued its positive start to the Eredivisie season on Sunday and Paxten Aaronson was at the forefront of another victory.

Aaronson registered one assist in Utrecht’s 2-1 road victory over NEC Nijmegen, continuing a strong run of form. The attacking midfielder has now scored or assisted in each of the last three appearances for the club, giving him four goals and two assists in 12 appearances.

Up next is a showdown with first place PSV, which will Utrecht’s biggest challenge yet this fall.

Alex Zendejas

Club America continued its quest towards a potential Liga MX title after outlasting Club Tijuana in penalties last Thursday.

Alex Zendejas registered one assist in the result as Club America won 3-2 on penalties after a 2-2 scoreline in 90 minutes. Zendejas has remained a consistent performer for the club this fall and will have another opportunity to shine against Toluca next week.

Cameron Carter-Vickers

Celtic’s undefeated start in Scottish Premiership play continued Saturday with a 4-1 road win over Hearts.

Cameron Carter-Vickers retained his starting spot, logging 90 minutes alongside international teammate Auston Trusty. Carter-Vickers completed 116 of 124 passes, while also winning seven duels, and making six clearances.

After missing out on international duty, Carter-Vickers looks back to his old self again.

George Bello

One year after its last road victory over Red Bull Salzburg, George Bello and LASK savored that feeling once again.

Bello played 90 minutes as LASK defeated Salzburg 2-1 away from home on Saturday. The 22-year-old won three duels, drew one foul, and made three interceptions, leapfrogging Salzburg in the Austrian Bundesliga standings.

Bello has now made 14 league appearances this season for the sixth-place side.

What did you think of these individual performances this past weekend? Was there anyone left off the list that you would’ve added?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

    • Pax with another very good performance at CM. Would love to see how he fits with the USMNT.

      And of course Pepi is on a hot streak at the moment. Hopefully it continues. Dude has 9 goals in 4 starts in tge Eredivisie.

      Reply

      • A goal every 57 minutes. He’s started against bottom half clubs, but still impressive. We’ll see if his hot streak continues if he’s starting Champions League or better league clubs. Really only one minnow (Dutch Cup) over next month and a half.

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