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PSV Eindhoven Announces Signing of Ricardo Pepi from FC Augsburg

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Ricardo Pepi is switching sides…

PSV Eindhoven has announced the signing of the 20-year-old Mexican American professional soccer player and United States striker from Bundesliga side FC Augsburg.

Ricardo Pepi Pepi previously starred in the Netherlands while on loan at FC Groningen last season, where he scored 13 goals in 31 appearances in all competitions.

ESPN reported last month that Pepi had signed a five-year deal with PSV after the Dutch side agreed a transfer fee of €9 million ($9.8m) with Augsburg.

Philips Sport Vereniging is a Dutch sports club has played in the Eredivisie, the top tier in Dutch football, since its inception in 1956.

“I am incredibly happy and excited to be here,” Pepi said in a statement on Friday. “I believe this is the right step for my career.

“PSV is a club with great ambitions, and I share the same desire to win trophies. I am a hardworking player who is willing to put in the dirty work. I prefer to have the ball close to the goal because that’s when I can score goals.”

Pepi has 15 caps for the USMNT, during which he has scored seven goals and helped the side win last month’s CONCACAF Nations League.

“Ricardo is still very young, so this transfer is also an investment for the future,” PSV head coach Peter Bosz said.

Ricardo Pepi Leads United States Past El Salvador to Clinch Spot in CONCACAF Nations League Finals

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It didn’t take long for Ricardo Pepi to make an impression…

The 20-year-old Mexican American professional soccer player scored seconds after coming into the game as the United States beat El Salvador 1-0 at Orlando’s Exploria Stadium on Monday night to win Group D and clinch its spot in the CONCACAF Nations League finals in June.

Ricardo Pepi The U.S., fresh off a 7-1 shellacking of Grenada, started a strong XI, with interim manager Anthony Hudson knowing all his team needed was a win or draw to advance to the Nations League semis.

The hosts never found an opener in a scoreless first half despite applying plenty of pressure and had a pair of injury scares with both goalkeeper Matt Turner and midfielder Yunus Musah requiring attention from the team’s medical staff.

Giovanni Reyna, making his second start for the U.S. after a World Cup in which he found minutes hard to come by, hit the post as play resumed after the break, and veteran Tim Ream had a close-range volley blocked away seconds later.

Pepi came on for Daryl Dike on the hour mark and made an instant impact, latching onto a Weston McKennie through ball, holding off his defender and chipping El Salvador keeper Mario Gonzalez to give the U.S. some breathing room in a game in which the Americans had dominated but failed to score.

Fellow substitute Taylor Booth picked out Pepi on the left side of the area in the 79th minute for a chance to double the lead, but the FC Groningen striker didn’t get enough bend on his shot and the ball sailed just wide of Gonzalez’s far post.

The defending champions join Mexico, which won Group A on Sunday with a 2-2 draw against Jamaica, in the four-team Nations League finals from June 15 to 18 at Allegiant Stadium, the home of the NFL‘s Las Vegas Raiders.

The last two spots will be decided Tuesday when CNL group-stage play concludes.