Ricardo Pepi is loving life in the Netherlands.
The U.S. men’s national team striker scored a 90th minute goal as Groningen strolled to a 3-0 win over FC Dordrecht in the first round of the KNVB Cup.
The tap-in marked his fifth goal in six games since moving to Groningen on loan from Augsburg. Pepi’s instant success has made him an every-game starter for head coach Frank Wormuth, and he played the full 90 minutes as Groningen comfortably beat their second-division opponents.
While scoring the goal required little more than side-footing into an empty net from the doorstep, Pepi’s work rate was the key to the chance ever happening. With Dordrecht in possession and looking to spark any kind of hope for a miraculous comeback, Pepi dipped back into the midfield to catch Toine van Huizen by surprise.
Pepi pounced to knock the ball back to Ragnar Oratmangoen, and then took off to join the counter-attack. Oratmangoen fed Florian Krüger on the right, and Groningen quickly had two players in against Dordrecht goalkeeper Trevor Doornbusch. Krüger drew Doornbusch out before passing to Pepi, who effectively walked the ball over the line to end the game as a contest.
The difficulty for Pepi and Groningen will go up a level or two this weekend, as they face a difficult home match against second-place PSV on Sunday.
Provided he stays healthy, Pepi’s place on the USMNT roster for the World Cup seems secure. However, for Gregg Berhalter, the fact that Pepi keeps scoring is a significant boost, particularly coming in the same week that Jordan Pefok and Josh Sargent both had to leave matches early due to minor knocks.
Watch Pepi stay hot for Groningen
Pepi goal in the KNVB Cup. He’s unlucky not to have scored more today he’s had a handful of good chances. pic.twitter.com/h4Eb4MgIf7
— Qatar🔜 (@GETSOCCERD) October 19, 2022
[lawrence-related id=8066,7878,7253]