Sunday, March 9, 2025

Dest Returns

Fullback Returns After 10-Month Injury Layoff in PSV Victory

Sergiño Dest made his long-awaited return to competitive action on Saturday, coming off the bench in PSV Eindhoven's 2-1 victory over Heerenveen in the Eredivisie. The 24-year-old defender entered the match in the 67th minute, replacing fellow American Richard Ledezma at the Philips Stadion.

The appearance marked Dest's first competitive minutes in nearly 11 months, following a devastating ACL tear suffered during training in April 2024. The injury required surgery and a lengthy rehabilitation process, keeping the talented fullback sidelined for PSV's Champions League campaign and the USMNT's Copa América tournament last summer.

"I am immensely happy to be back," Dest told PSV's website after the match. "The supporters and the players took good care of me, and I'm very grateful for that." Despite the long layoff, Dest appeared eager to test his recovered knee, adding: "Before the game, all I thought was, I want to get in and play again. Fortunately, the coach gave me a half-hour, which was super nice. I also went straight into the duels and was just driven to seek them out."

Though Dest was conscious of the need for caution following such a serious injury, he was pleased with how his body responded. "Of course, I have to take it easy and be careful, but it felt good," he said.

Dest, who has scored two goals in 33 international appearances and started all four US matches at the 2022 World Cup, won't feature in the Nations League semifinal against Panama on March 20. The defender was not named to the 60-man preliminary roster announced a few weeks ago.

PSV's victory, secured by goals from Ismael Saibari and Guus Til, moved them to second place in the Eredivisie, five points behind leaders Ajax.

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