Pepi Hat Trick

Pepi is now tied in the Eredivisie Golden Boot Race 

U.S. striker Ricardo Pepi continued his remarkable scoring run with a hat trick, powering PSV Eindhoven to a 5-0 rout of FC Groningen in the Dutch Eredivisie on Saturday.

Starting in place of regular striker Luuk de Jong, Pepi netted three times against his former loan club to move joint-top of the Eredivisie scoring charts with nine goals, level with FC Twente's Sem Steijn. The 21-year-old American has achieved this tally in just 12 appearances, only four of them starts.

Pepi's first goal came in the 37th minute after Olivier Boscagli had given PSV the lead. The former FC Dallas forward showcased his individual brilliance, sprinting in from the right touchline and driving into the penalty area before cleverly chipping over the Groningen goalkeeper.

After Guus Til made it 3-0, Pepi struck twice more. His second goal in the 64th minute demonstrated his growing confidence as he beat a defender before finding the bottom corner. The American completed his hat trick in the 78th minute with a clinical header from 6 yards out.

The performance extends Pepi's impressive scoring streak to four consecutive games, including two goals for the U.S. national team in their recent Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal victory over Jamaica.

Pepi has now been involved in multiple goals in four straight starts and his scoring rate continues a trend from last season, when he netted seven goals in just 459 Eredivisie minutes. The victory strengthens PSV's position atop the Eredivisie standings, where they lead second-placed Utrecht by eight points, having played two more games.

Juve-Milan is a Goalless Draw

The Serie A showdown at the San Siro didn’t live up to the hype as AC Milan and Juventus fought to a 0-0 draw on Saturday. Weston McKennie played an unusual forward role for Juventus, joining Teun Koopmeiners in attack due to Dusan Vlahovic's absence. Timothy Weah's late introduction failed to spark the match.

Christian Pulisic was rested after picking up a knock over the international break and came off the bench with 20 minutes to go. Yunus Musah played 84 minutes, again out on the right flank.

The game produced minimal scoring chances as Juventus maintained their unbeaten Serie A status but remained sixth in the standings, three points behind Inter Milan. AC Milan sits seventh.

Scally Injured?

Fullback subbed early with a possible head injury

Joe Scally’s centennial Bundesliga appearance was cut short when he was subbed off in the 21st minute of Borussia Mönchengladbach’s 2-0 win over St Pauli on Sunday.

At 21 years, 329 days, Scally became at  the fourth youngest M'gladbach player to reach the 100-game mark in the Bundesliga, behind Marc-André ter Stegen, Lothar Matthäus and Berti Vogts.

In the second minute, Scally was involved in a clash of heads with Philipp Treu and carried on for about 20 minutes before being subbed off for Stevie Lainer.

At the moment of publish, no new news has come about the injury, so his current status for Gladbach’s match against SC Freiburg next Saturday is unknown.

Paredes has Foot Surgery; Out Rest of 2024

Wolfsburg winger Kevin Paredes will miss the remainder of 2024 after undergoing foot surgery, effectively ending his season debut hopes for this year. The 21-year-old former DC United homegrown player, who made 29 appearances last season, announced the setback on social media. "I will be sidelined for a bit longer this season," Paredes said on Instagram. The injury comes after a promising 2023 that included strong performances for Wolfsburg and the U.S. Olympic team.