USMNT forward Ricardo Pepi signs for PSV Eindhoven on 5-year deal

EINDHOVEN, Netherlands — United States forward Ricardo Pepi signed for PSV Eindhoven on Friday, staying in the Dutch league where he impressed last season.

PSV said the 20-year-old Pepi signed a five-year contract with the club which finished runner-up in the Eredivisie last season.

The deal could keep Pepi in Eindhoven until the 2026 World Cup that the U.S. will co-host with Canada and Mexico.

Pepi is familiar with the league after scoring 12 times for Groningen, which was relegated, while on loan from German top-tier club Augsburg.

The transfer fee PSV will pay Augsburg was not stated.

Pepi moved to the Bundesliga 18 months ago after impressing with FC Dallas in Major League Soccer.

He has scored seven goals in 16 games for the U.S. national team but was not selected for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The Americans were eliminated in the round of 16 by the Netherlands.

PSV will play in the Champions League qualifying rounds next month needing to beat two opponents to reach the lucrative group stage. The team’s director of football, Earnie Stewart, is a Dutch-born former U.S. star player who was previously the sporting director at the Union, then U.S. Soccer before moving to Eindhoven.

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Inquirer staff writer Jonathan Tannenwald contributed to this report.