Tag: PSV

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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USMNT has no proven replacement for Dest, says Lalas

At least one ex-USMNT defender has doubts about the options behind the injured right back

With Sergiño Dest expected to miss this summer’s Copa América with a knee injury, Alexi Lalas says the U.S. men’s national team is facing a “huge” problem.

“I think he is — when he is healthy — an in-pen starter for this national team,” said Lalas of the PSV defender, who suffered an unspecified, long-term knee injury in training this past Saturday. “[Dest] has been vital in terms of up and down that right-hand side, providing an incredible talent and ability with the ball, incredible speed.”

Speaking on his State of the Union podcast, Lalas went on to declare that no other USMNT right back has been pushing Dest for the starting job, creating a pickle for the team going into a massive summer tournament.

“The big problem for Gregg Berhalter and this team is nobody — like the No. 9 position — has yet stepped up and even challenged, even remotely challenged, [Dest],” said Lalas. “At times in the past when we have seen players play in that position, the [Joe] Scallys and stuff, they have not shown that they’re even close to stepping into his shoes right now.”

Scally is the obvious choice to replace Dest, but his form at Borussia Mönchengladbach has been iffy at best this season. Additionally, Scally plays the position much differently, taking fewer risks and offering less going forward than Dest, who functions as an X-factor for the USMNT.

Lalas noted that Berhalter has “possibilities of doing some different things,” which could mean a shift to a back three, or experimenting with players in new positions. Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie, and Tim Weah all have right back or right wingback experience, for example, though all three are seen as locked-in starters elsewhere for the USMNT.

Dest at least got some good news on the club front on Wednesday, with PSV boss Peter Bosz stating that he’d like the club to sign the USMNT defender to a permanent deal from Barcelona.

The 23-year-old joined the Eredivisie giants on loan this season, and his frosty relationship with Barça manager Xavi — who will reportedly stick around for the 2024-25 campaign — has boosted the chances of a full transfer this summer.

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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.”

PSV announces Dest out for ‘extended period’ with knee injury

The USMNT defender looks set for a long spell on the sideline

PSV has announced that defender Sergiño Dest will be out for an “extended period” with what appears to be a serious knee injury.

The U.S. national team defender suffered the injury in training on Saturday, and the early signs are clearly not good.

“Sergiño Dest suffered what appears to be a serious knee injury during Saturday’s training session,” a club statement said.

“How long the winger will be sidelined is still being investigated. That it will be an extended period is almost certain.”

Though the length of Dest’s absence is not yet known, the language in PSV’s statement immediately makes him a major doubt for the Copa América.

The USMNT kicks off the tournament in just two months when it faces Bolivia on June 23. Dest was almost certain to start at right back for the USMNT at the intercontinental tournament.

More to follow…

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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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Lozano slams former Mexico coach Martino: ‘He treated us like little children’

Of playing under Martino, the Mexico star said: “It was like going to the military”

Mexico star Hirving “Chucky” Lozano has slammed former national team coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino, saying that the Argentine treated him and his teammates like children during his tenure.

Martino was in charge of Mexico from 2019 to 2022, when he stepped down immediately after El Tri failed to advance from the World Cup group stage.

The current Inter Miami head coach never seemed to fully embrace his role with Mexico, oftentimes sparring with media over deficiencies within the team and in the Mexican soccer system as a whole.

According to Lozano, the coach didn’t make a great impression with his players either, charging that he instilled a disciplinary style that caused friction between coaches and the team.

“The truth is that for me there were many stumbles in how to handle the national team in every sense,” the PSV attacker told TUDN.

“Tata, for me, the truth is there was never a good connection between the coaching staff and the players, because the truth is that they treated us like little children. It was like going to the military.

“Managing the group like that I think was a very big mistake. For me, the truth is that there were some decisions on their part that were not correct.”

Lozano said that the 2022 World Cup was “the straw that broke the camel’s back” when it came to Martino, adding that when he returned to Napoli, his club at the time, he went through a difficult period of reflection.

“The truth is that the World Cup was the straw that broke the camel’s back,” the 28-year-old said. “Personally, I left very satisfied because I gave my maximum as always, as you can see in the statistics.

“The truth is that I was disappointed, because Mexico did not deserve that. I went into the World Cup very excited and I lived it to the fullest, but it was a very big disappointment.

“I went through a very complicated month when I returned from the World Cup to Napoli, because I didn’t feel like doing anything. It was a very complicated period. I think it was a time to meditate and see what I had done, and the truth is that that World Cup was difficult.”

Now under coach Jaime Lozano, Mexico will face Panama on Thursday in the Concacaf Nations League semifinal. The winner will take on the winner between the U.S. and Jamaica in the final on Sunday.

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Tillman, on time and wide awake, scores stunner in PSV win

Tillman answered his alarm clock in the best way possible for PSV

Malik Tillman was wide awake for PSV’s win over FC Volendam.

The U.S. men’s national team attacking midfielder put up a goal and an assist in an emphatic performance, helping his side claim a 3-1 victory over 10-man FC Volendam on Saturday.

A week after being left out of the side by manager Peter Bosz for oversleeping, Tillman was handed a chance to make up for it, and ended up involved on the goals that provided the margin of victory at Philips Stadion.

Against a Volendam side that has a dreadful history against PSV — broadcaster ESPN noted that the previous nine meetings had seen the Eindhoven-based club score 50 goals — Tillman was handed his first start since a summer loan move from Bayern Munich.

What followed was more or less pure dominance: PSV took 38 shots and held 76% of the possession over the 90 minutes, while Volendam eventually went down a man thanks to Benaissa Benamar’s late red card.

Still, at halftime PSV only lead 1-0, and it was only in the second half that Tillman in particular started to heat up. Halftime substitute Guus Til helped as well, finishing Tillman’s delicate lob over the Volendam defense to make it 2-0 just moments after the restart.

Ricardo Pepi stepped into the fray with 20 minutes to go, and made an impact of his own. He drew the foul that got Benamar sent off, and the Texan played a big role in Tillman’s stoppage-time strike.

It wasn’t clear if Pepi got a touch on an attempted header as the ball bounced toward him, but it was enough to fool his marker, and the resulting deflection fell perfectly for Tillman.

The 21-year-old raced away through an enormous gap in the Volendam back line, then produced an overpowering shot from an angle to cap the scoring off.

It was, in other words, a perfect response to any doubts that Bosz or PSV fans might have had over the club’s new signing. The win also increased the club’s lead in the Eredivisie to four points, though AZ and FC Twente could still reduce that gap with games later on the weekend.

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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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PSV’s USMNT trio made some history in a bad night at Arsenal

For the first time ever, three U.S. internationals shared the same UEFA Champions League pitch

For the first time ever, three U.S. internationals played in the same UEFA Champions League game. That is an accomplishment worth celebrating. As for the game itself? Much less so.

PSV trio Sergiño Dest, Malik Tillman and Ricardo Pepi all shared the field on Wednesday, but the Dutch side was blown away in a 4-0 defeat to Arsenal to kick off both teams’ group-stage campaigns.

Dest played the full match, while Tillman came on midway through the second half and Pepi was introduced in second-half stoppage time.

In particular, it was a rough night for Dest, who tried and mostly failed to contain Bukayo Saka on the right side of Arsenal’s attack. The first and third goal for the Gunners could at least partially be blamed on Dest.

First, he completely switched off and allowed Saka to run past him and score on a rebound.

Dest would later get sucked inside and was unable to close down Gabriel Jesus quickly enough, as the Brazilian had plenty of time to take a touch and fire home Arsenal’s third goal.

After the game, PSV head coach Peter Bosz admitted that Arsenal’s superior quality was the difference, adding that his team did not defend well in its own box.

“[Our players] worked, they played with the ball, but the difference in quality was too great,” Bosz said.

“I’m willing to take a critical look at myself. They defended well in their box, we did not in ours. Then you run into a major defeat. If we play more at this level more, we’ll learn from these mistakes. I hope we can see that in the second leg in December, against the best team in the group and one of the best teams in the world.”

PSV will also face Lens and Sevilla in a difficult Group B.

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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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