Jordan Pefok limped out of Union Berlin’s win over Borussia Dortmund on Sunday, sparking concerns that the American striker could be set for a spell on the sidelines.
But Union Berlin head coach Urs Fischer calmed fears over Pefok on Tuesday by using one of those delightful German compound words: Pferdekuss, or “horse kiss.”
Fischer said Pefok would miss out on Wednesday’s DFB-Pokal match against FC Heidenheim, but would hopefully be back in time for Sunday’s Bundesliga game against Bochum.
“Jordan will not be available to us [against Heidenheim],” Fischer said at a press conference on Tuesday. “The injury isn’t bad. He got a strong horse kiss, but I’m confident that it should be fine by Sunday.”
According to Wiktionary, Pferdekuss comes from the idiomatic expression vom Pferd geküsst werden (literally “to get kissed by a horse”) which, in practical terms, means “thigh knock” or “charley horse.”
Pefok has been vital to Union Berlin’s surprising lead atop the Bundesliga table, starting all but one of the club’s 10 league games while contributing three goals and three assists.
That form wasn’t enough to see him called into the USMNT’s September camp, however. Though his recent injury will heal with plenty of time to spare before the World Cup, it still looks unlikely that Pefok will be in Qatar.
[lawrence-related id=8498,8505,8356]