Tag: Eredivisie

PSV show support for Dest after USMNT defender’s knee injury

PSV showed more support for Dest before proceeding to demolish Heerenveen

Sergiño Dest has to be feeling the love at PSV these days.

PSV’s players came out for Thursday’s match with Heerenveen in shirts reading “Sterkte Sergiño” on the front, and with Dest’s number 8 on the back. “Sterkte” is a Dutch expression meaning “strength” or “courage.”

The U.S. men’s national team defender will be out for an extended period after suffering a knee injury in training last week.

While Dest’s absence has created a new worry for the USMNT, PSV has been very supportive. After the injury, manager Peter Bosz made clear that he’d like to see the club make Dest’s loan from Barcelona a permanent transfer. Dest’s loan contract with PSV is said to include a €10 million purchase option.

Meanwhile, PSV followed up its latest message of encouragement for Dest by completely obliterating Heerenveen.

Dest’s USMNT teammate Malik Tillman had two goals and an assist in the game’s first 11 minutes as PSV robbed the match of any mystery. Despite being the away team, the Eredivisie leaders would pour it on, winning 8-0.

The result primed Eindhoven for a big party, as PSV could finish the night by clinching the club’s 25th Eredivisie crown. The victory at the Abe Lenstra Stadium left the Boeren 12 points clear of second-placed Feyenoord, who play Go Ahead Eagles later on Thursday.

Should Feyenoord fail to win that match, PSV will lift the league trophy for the first time since 2017-18.

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Arne Slot confirms desire to be next Liverpool head coach

The Dutch manager made it clear that he wants a move to Merseyside

Arne Slot has confirmed his desire to take over as Liverpool head coach.

Multiple reports have indicated that Liverpool has made the Feyenoord head coach its top choice to replace Jürgen Klopp when he departs at the end of the season.

Now the Dutchman himself has weighed in, and he was unequivocal that he is looking to move to Merseyside.

“The clubs are negotiating. I am waiting to see what will come out of it,” Slot told ESPN on Thursday ahead of Feyenoord’s game against Go Ahead Eagles.

“It will be no secret that I would like to go to Liverpool. Now I am waiting for the clubs to reach an agreement. I am confident that will happen.”

Liverpool would need to negotiate a fee with Feyenoord should the club wish to hire Slot, who has a release clause in his contract that does not go into effect until next year.

On Wednesday, The Athletic reported that Feyenoord had rejected an opening bid from Liverpool worth €9 million.

Slot has put himself on the radar of several top clubs in Europe with his success as a manager in the Netherlands, first with Cambuur, then AZ and finally with Feyenoord.

The 45-year-old led Feyenoord to the Eredivisie title last season and currently has the club in second place, and is renowned for his positive attacking style.

He has rejected approaches from Leeds and Tottenham over the past year, but now appears to have settled on another English side for his next career move.

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PSV boss Bosz wants to sign Dest permanently despite serious injury

The USMNT right back is set to be sidelined until 2025

PSV head coach Peter Bosz said that his side still wants to sign Sergiño Dest on a permanent basis even after a serious knee injury.

Dest suffered the injury in training on Saturday and though the extent hasn’t officially been revealed, multiple reports have indicated that the right back tore his ACL and will be sidelined for the remainder of 2024.

The 23-year-old has had a standout campaign with the Dutch side, which has a reported €10 million purchase option when his loan from Barcelona expires at the end of this season.

Though the fullback will miss a significant part of the 2024-25 campaign, Bosz said at a press conference on Wednesday that he still hopes to have Dest at his disposal.

“I am talking for myself as a coach and as a staff,” Bosz said. “I would very much like to have him there. It clicked in the way we played. It clicked as a person. It clicked with the player group.

“He also just played well actually all season. Then you want to keep him. The same goes for the club, actually. I think they would also like to keep him there.”

Pepi’s agent fires warning on lack of PSV minutes: ‘It can’t continue like this’

The USMNT forward has started just two games this season

Ricardo Pepi’s agent has sounded a warning over his client’s ongoing lack of minutes at PSV, saying “it can’t continue like this.”

Pepi has been productive in his first season at PSV, but has been forced to mostly watch from the bench as first-choice striker Luuk de Jong has put together a sensational campaign.

The U.S. men’s national team striker has appeared in 35 total games for PSV, but has only started twice. Still, Pepi has managed to score nine times, averaging a goal every 66 minutes he’s been on the pitch.

In an interview with Voetbal International, Pepi stressed the importance of staying patient while also maintaining that he is far from satisfied with the amount of time he’s been playing.

“I also talked to the coach about how I can get more playing time. He says that I have to stay patient and keep doing what I am doing, because there will be times when I can help the team and then I have to be ready,” Pepi said.

“It is of course difficult to be patient for so long. I feel good during training and when I come on the field, I regularly score. Then you want to explode as a striker. So it is difficult, but at the same time I knew that I wanted to go to PSV and that there would be several good attackers [there].”

The 21-year-old added: “I am not satisfied with my playing time, but I am satisfied with the goals I have scored.”

Pepi’s agent Jaime Garcia stressed that his client is happy at PSV, but also admitted that there was a sense of urgency to increase his minutes as he eyes a major role at the Copa América this summer and the World Cup in 2026.

“First of all, there is complete understanding, because Luuk de Jong is a phenomenon and we must take our hats off to his achievements,” Garcia said. “But at the same time, this season is not good enough for Ricardo. Ten percent of all playing time is of course far too little. He understands, is patient and congratulates Luuk, but for himself it is not enough. However, I have never met a player who was happy when he didn’t play.”

Garcia added: “If you play so little, you can also lose your place in the national team. With the Copa América this year and the World Cup in two years’ time in your own country, there are two great tournaments coming up. Ricardo wants and needs to be there. That’s why it can’t continue like this.

“He will have to take a step in his career. That’s just normal. Every player wants to continue to grow and reach his full potential. Ricardo obviously prefers to do that at PSV. Ricardo is far from home and he wants to have a home in Europe.”

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Gimenez completes 47-hour hat trick vs. Ajax

The Mexico international completed one of the strangest hat tricks you’ll ever see

Feyenoord striker Santiago Giménez completed one of the strangest hat tricks you’ll ever see on Wednesday, with his third goal against Ajax coming three days after his second.

Giménez netted a pair of goals on Sunday as the Eredivisie champions raced into a 3-0 lead at the Johan Cruyff Arena.

Ajax fans were not happy with their side’s insipid display, showing their displeasure by launching missiles, flares and fireworks onto the pitch. The game was suspended in the 56th minute, and eventually abandoned due to the unplayable conditions on the field.

The trouble continued outside the stadium in Amsterdam, as riot police charged at unruly fans.

After the mess on Sunday, the Eredivisie opted to resume the match on Wednesday behind closed doors at Johan Cruyff Arena. Just three minutes after the game restarted, Giménez scored his third of the game by putting home a rebound.

The Mexico international thus completed the rarely seen 47-hour hat trick.

After helping Feyenoord to a league title last season, Giménez has started the current campaign in red-hot form. The 22-year-old’s hat trick against Ajax took him to nine goals in just six league games. It also made him the first Feyenoord player to score a hat trick in an Eredivisie away game at Ajax.

As for Ajax, defeat continues a disastrous season. The Dutch power is currently 14th out of 18 teams in the league and recently fired technical director Sven Mislintat. There is plenty of speculation that head coach Maurice Steijn could be next.

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Tillman left out of PSV squad for oversleeping, says coach Bosz

This is not the way to make an impression with a new team

Malik Tillman was dropped from PSV’s matchday squad on Saturday for oversleeping, according to head coach Peter Bosz.

Tillman was not involved as PSV easily defeated last-place Almere City 4-0, with Tillman’s U.S. teammate Ricardo Pepi coming off the bench to score the fourth goal in second-half stoppage time.

Bosz told a press conference after the game that Tillman was likely to be involved in the game, but his tardiness cost him a place in the team.

“He overslept, so I left him at home,” Bosz said.

“I was told he still wanted to come, but I said he didn’t have to. He’s going to train again tomorrow.”

It wasn’t immediately clear when exactly Tillman overslept, but Saturday’s game started at 8 p.m. local time and took place in Almere, which is roughly an hour and 15 minute drive from PSV’s home city of Eindhoven.

The punishment is another setback for Tillman, who has yet to make a big impression with PSV since completing a loan move this summer from Bayern Munich.

Tillman has made just three appearances so far for PSV, and has yet to start a match. He did, however, manage to score off the bench earlier this month in his only Eredivisie appearance this season.

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Pepi: I’ve never had a problem with Berhalter

The striker was one of the final cuts from the 2022 World Cup roster

Ricardo Pepi has insisted he’s never had a problem with U.S. men’s national team head coach Gregg Berhalter, despite being left off last year’s World Cup roster.

Pepi was one of the last cuts for the 26-man squad that went to Qatar, with Jesús Ferreira, Haji Wright and Josh Sargent preferred over the then-Groningen forward.

After six months away from the team, Berhalter was rehired as USMNT head coach and will return to the sideline in friendlies against Uzbekistan on Saturday and Oman on Tuesday.

After his World Cup snub, Pepi has returned to the USMNT in impressive fashion, scoring four goals in four appearances so far in 2023.

Pepi spoke about his relationship with Berhalter on the Offside With Taylor Twellman podcast, insisting that there has never been an issue between the pair.

“To be honest, I never really had a problem with Gregg,” the 20-year-old said. “We had a phone call before this camp and he just explained to me my role in the squad. He explained to me that he was back. So, it’s all a healthy relationship with him. I’ve never had a problem with him at all.

“So it’s all normal. And of course, we have a good relationship on the pitch. He’s always telling me on video if he sees something, he’s always telling me to improve this, improve that. So, you know, it’s all a good relationship, to be honest.”

Pepi completed an offseason transfer from Augsburg to PSV after starring on loan with Groningen last season. The striker said he enjoys the style of play in the Eredivisie and is looking to stay patient at PSV, where he’s served as a backup to Luuk de Jong in the early season.

“They have a very nice style of football, which is why I like the league a lot,” Pepi said. “And of course, [there are] a lot of opportunities for young players. I feel like it’s a good stepping stone for a young player as well.

“I signed a five-year deal [at PSV], so it’s about patience of course. And it’s about working every day, trying to get better as a player. A club like PSV is known for making big transfer players, they’re always helping players go out to the big clubs. So I feel like I’m in the right spot and I’m just going to keep working until I get my opportunity.”

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Gimenez making Mexico World Cup snub look worse with every goal

The striker has gone on to have the most prolific debut European season ever for a Mexican

When Santiago Giménez was omitted from Mexico’s World Cup roster in November, it was questionable. Now, it just seems laughable.

Giménez was bypassed in favor of the barely-fit Raúl Jiménez, and forwards like Henry Martín and Rogelio Funes Mori who have been prolific in Liga MX and less so with El Tri.

Giménez at the time was only 21 and unproven at the international level. But he’d showed plenty of promise in Liga MX and had started to translate that form to his new side Feyenoord, where he’d scored six goals in 18 games.

Mexico would end up being eliminated at the World Cup group stage, picking up one point in two scoreless opening matches before a 2-1 win over Saudi Arabia in its finale proved too little, too late.

Meanwhile Giménez has gone on a goalscoring binge after his snub, proving on a weekly basis that Tata Martino made a grave mistake not taking him to Qatar.

Giménez has 12 goals in 17 league games since the turn of the year, including a current scoring streak of seven matches in a row.

Overall, Giménez has scored 22 times for Feyenoord this season, breaking the record for the most ever goals by a Mexico men’s international in their debut European season.

The 22-year-old looks likely to only stay at Feyenoord for one season, with some of Europe’s biggest clubs lining up for his signature (ironically his departure could open the door for USMNT forward Ricardo Pepi to replace him).

Giménez will undoubtedly be a major part of Mexico’s future, but El Tri fans are likely wondering what could have been if he were more involved in the recent past.

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Utrecht puts €12m price tag on USMNT midfielder Booth

The 21-year-old looks set to leave the Dutch club after just one season

Taylor Booth is likely to leave Utrecht this summer, but he won’t come cheaply.

The Dutch club’s technical director Jordy Zuidam said in an interview with ESPN that he is looking for €12 million in any deal for the 21-year-old American.

“I know there is a lot of interest from players like Booth and [Anastasios] Douvikas,” Zuidam said.

“If we want to keep the club healthy, we have to make transfers. We aim to sell for around €12 million. We should do that again next year. Then those are guys who represent a value. You also try to keep boys, but you have to be realistic and that will show in the coming period.”

An eight-figure sale would represent a tidy piece of business for Utrecht, which signed Booth on a free transfer from Bayern Munich only last summer.

Booth had very little first-team experience under his belt when he moved to the Eredivisie, but he quickly proved to be one of Utrecht’s most important creative players.

In March, De Telegraaf said that Ajax and PSV are keen on bringing Booth in this summer. There has also been reported interest from Spain and England.

Booth earned his first two U.S. national team caps in March, coming off the bench the team’s Nations League games against Grenada and El Salvador.

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Ricardo Pepi scores again, Groningen loses again

Imagine Groningen without Pepi

The contrast between Ricardo Pepi and Groningen in the Eredivisie couldn’t be more stark.

Pepi scored his seventh goal in his last 10 matches between club play and the U.S. men’s national team. The goal is his 11th in the league this season, and when you add in his three assists, he’s made a direct contribution to 50% of Groningen’s 28 goals.

It’s just that Groningen is in freefall as a club, squandering Pepi’s goal as Michiel Kramer’s 86th minute penalty gave RKC Waalwijk a 2-1 win on Saturday.

The defeat marked Groningen’s sixth straight Eredivisie loss, and the club is on a horrid 1W-3D-14L run. With just five games left to play and eight points between them and a promotion-relegation playoff spot, relegation seems certain.

Pepi, who is on a season-long loan, has been doing whatever he can to stave off the inevitable. His productivity on an otherwise doomed team, combined with his eagerness to avoid returning to Augsburg, should make him a hot commodity in this summer’s transfer market.

On Saturday, Pepi maintained his good form with another goal. After initially keeping a play alive by ensuring the ball didn’t run out of play, Pepi passed backwards as Groningen — who had fallen behind just seconds earlier — tried to find an opening in the massed RKC defense.

With the home side standing off, Groningen had time to get men forward, and left back Nordin Musampa pushed up into a more dangerous spot. With time and space, he curled a pinpoint cross in for Pepi, who had ghosted away from his markers to get wide open at the back post.

Watch Pepi strike again

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